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A BAPTIST MANUAL 



A BAPTIST MANUAL 



THE POLITY OF THE BAPTIST CHURCHES AND 
OF THE DENOMINATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS 



By 
THEODORE GERALD SOARES 

Ph. D., D. D. 

Professor of Practical Theology In the 
University of Chicago 



PHILADELPHIA 

AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY 

BOSTON CHICAGO ST. LOUIS 

TORONTO, CAN. 



jsrt 



5 fc 



Copyright 1911 by 
A. J. ROWLAND, Secretary 



Published April, 1911 



©CLA28B546 



PREFACE 

vVe are in a most interesting stage in the develop- 
ment of our denominational polity. We are dis- 
covering to the joy of all that our pure democracy 
is compatible with organized effectiveness in every 
sphere where we need advanced movement. Most 
important modifications are taking place, and a new 
denominational consciousness is evident. 

It is perhaps too early to write the history of this 
movement. But it is not too early to indicate 
the point to which we have come. All Baptist 
manuals are of necessity out of date. We have 
felt for some time in our Department of Practical 
Theology at the University of Chicago the need of 
a book in which the conditions as they now exist 
among us would be clearly set forth. Perhaps the 
special pressure occasioned by divinity lectures may 
be the excuse for my undertaking to perform this 
task. 

In conference with my friend, Dr. William E. 
Barton, an acknowledged authority on ecclesiastical 
usage in the Congregational body, I found that he 



vi Preface 

had in hand the preparation of a manual for his 
own denomination. The Congregationalists have 
been passing through a development very similar to 
our own, so that I was glad to avail myself of 
Doctor Barton's generous offer to allow me to con- 
sult his work while in course of preparation. 

Pres. H. P. Judson, of the University of Chicago; 
Dr. B. A. Greene, my colleague in practical the- 
ology ; and Mr. J. S. Dickerson, editor of " The 
Standard," all of whom have had no small part in 
recent denominational developments, have kindly 
read the manuscript and favored me with valuable 
suggestions. 

Theodore Gerald Soares. 

The University of Chicago, January i, 1911. 



CONTENTS 

Part I 
Baptist Theory and Practice 

PAGE 

Chapter I. The Fundamental Principles of 
Baptist Polity 3 

Chapter II. The Organization of Baptist 

Churches 11 

Preparatory Steps of Organization 11 

Recognition of a Church 14 

The Disbanding of a Church 16 

Uniting Two Churches 17 

Dividing a Church 18 

The Incorporation of a Church 19 

Corporate Seal 21 

Chapter III. The Constitution of a Bap- 
tist Church 22 

The Presiding Officer. 22 

Records 23 

The Financial Management of the Church. 24 
The Unity of the Church Organization. ... 25 

Business Meetings 25 

Annual Church Meetings 26 

The Form of Constitution 2j 

vii 



viii Contents 



PAGE 



Chapter IV. The Conduct of Church Meet- 
ings 28 

Rules of Order 28 

Opening a Meeting 28 

The Introduction of Business. . , 29 

The Disposition of a Question 29 

The Point of Order 31 

Making a Motion 31 

Voting 32 

Adjournment 32 

Chapter V. The Church and Society 33 

Reason for the Society 33 

Powers and Limitations 33 

Chapter VI. Church Membership 36 

Conditions of Membership 36 

The Rights of Members 38 

The Majority Rule 40 

The Rights of the Minority. 40 

Duties of Members of the Church 41 

Dismission 41 

What is " Good and Regular Standing "?. . 43 

When May a Church Refuse a Letter?. . . 43 

Status of Dismissed Members 43 

Dropping Names from Roll 44 

Letters without Dismission 45 

Dismission to Other Evangelical Organiza- 
tions 46 

Discipline of Church Members. . ; 46 



Contents ix 



PAGE 



Testimony at Church Trials 48 

The Exclusion of a Member 49 

The Right of a Church to Discipline Its 

Members 49 

The Law of Libel 50 

Chapter VII. The Baptist Minister 53 

The Status of the Ordained Minister 54 

The Termination of a Pastorate 55 

The Legal Value of Ministerial Reputation. 57 

Chapter VIII. Ecclesiastical Councils.... 59 

The Right to Call a Council 59 

The Method of Calling a Council 61 

The Number of Invited Churches 61 

The Advisory Committee on Councils 61 

The Quorum of a Council 62 

The Organization of a Council 62 

The Moderator 63 

The Clerk 65 

The Executive Session of the Council 65 

The Dissolving of a Council 66 

The Authority of a Council 67 

Ex-parte Councils 68 

May a Council Increase Its Membership ? . . 69 

Individuals in a Council 69 

Evidence 70 

Chapter IX. The Association 72 

The Churches in Association 72 

Incorporation 73 



Contents 



PAGE 



The Organization of the Association 73 

Relations of the Association 74 

Chapter X. The Metropolitan Executive 
Council 75 

The Need of Metropolitan Organization.. 75 
The Relation of the Metropolitan Organiza- 
tion to the Association 76 

By-laws of the Baptist Executive Council 
of Chicago JJ 

Chapter XL The State Convention 84 

A Delegated Body 84 

Representative of the Denomination 85 

Conservator of Denominational Interests.. 86 
Relation to the Northern Baptist Conven- 
tion 86 

The State Superintendent of Missions 87 

The Pastor-at-large 87 

Chapter XII. The Northern Baptist Con- 
vention 89 

The Organization of the Convention 89 

The Act of Incorporation 91 

By-laws 92 

By-laws for Co-operating Societies 97 

Chapter XIII. The Southern Baptist Con- 
vention 99 

Constitution . 99 

By-laws 103 



Contents xi 



PAGE 



Chapter XIV. The General Convention of 

the Baptists of North America 106 

Constitution 107 

By-laws 109 

Chapter XV. The Baptist World Alliance .111 
Constitution 112 

Chapter XVI. The Church Universal. .. .115 
The Relation of Baptists to Other Churches. 115 
The Federal Council of Churches of Christ 
in America 117 



Part II 

A Compendium of Forms for the Use 
of Churches and Councils 

Baptist Statements of Doctrine 125 

The New Hampshire Articles of Faith. . . .125 
A Confession of Faith in Scriptural Lan- 
guage 131 

The Constitution of a Church 133 

Forms of Letters Missive 145 

From Individuals Desiring Help in Organi- 
zing a Church 145 

For the Reception of a Church into Fellow- 
ship : 146 



xii Contents 

PAGE 

For the Ordination of a Minister 147 

For Advice in Special Cases 148 

For Advice in Case of Internal Dissen- 
sions 149 

For a Mutual Council in Case of Alleged 

Grievance 150 

For an Ex-parte Council to Consider an 
Alleged Grievance 151 

Forms Relating to the Dismission of 
Church Members 152 

Application for Uniting in the Formation 
of a New Church 152 

Application for a Letter of Dismission from 
One Church to Another 153 

A Letter of Dismission and Recommenda- 
tion 153 

A Certificate of Reception 154 

Form of Membership Certificate .154 

Forms Relating to License and Ordination. 155 

Certificate of License to Preach 155 

Certificate of Ordination 155 



Parti 
Baptist Theory and Practice 



CHAPTER I 
The Fundamental Principles of Baptist Polity 

THE most fundamental principle of Baptist 
polity, and that upon which all else rests, is 
that the individual church is an independent 
body. If it so happened that there were only one 
Baptist, church in the world it could be completely 
a Baptist church. The Baptists have always believed 
that this was the essential constitution of the New 
Testament churches. Further, it seems to be the 
principle of government most naturally suited to 
a democratic people, and in spite of the seemingly 
greater efficiency which more highly organized 
bodies present, the history of the Baptists appears 
abundantly to vindicate the value of the democratic 
principle. 

And yet from the very first churches have not 
existed in isolation. They have naturally felt a 
relation, which was more than that of mere fraternal 
interest, with others of like faith and order. The 
Baptist churches of a locality have been accus- 
tomed to send messengers to an Association. This 
body was never conceived of as a delegated body 
to have authority over the churches. It was simply, 
as the name implied, an association of individuals 

3 



\ 



4 A Baptist Manual 

for the purpose of considering matters of mutual 
interest to all the churches. 

Yet in a way, without in the least compromising 
independence, the Association inevitably modified it. 
A church might be a regular Baptist church with- 
out affiliation with any Association, but its recog- 
nition among the sisterhood of churches depended 
upon that affiliation. The messengers who were 
sent by the churches to the Association might be 
regarded as individuals responsible only to them- 
selves, and yet inevitably they were delegates. And 
the Association in practice became a gathering of 
the churches for the consideration of mutual in- 
terests, for undertaking general missionary opera- 
tions within the territory of the Association, and 
for expressing to some extent at least the common 
religious sense of the churches. 

A very much more significant modification of 
the principle of independence, which, however, 
still does not in anywise impair it, is caused by 
the formation of the larger missionary organiza- 
tions. The State Conventions in the beginning were 
not conceived of as delegated bodies. They too 
were organizations composed of individuals respon- 
sible only to themselves. The action of a State Con- 
vention could have no binding power whatever upon 
a church. The State Convention was organized pri- 
marily for carrying on missionary work in the needy 
sections of the State. But that very condition in- 
volved the formation of missionary churches, which 



The Principles of Baptist Polity 5 

would not be self-supporting. It is a principle 
that has been of universal application, and from 
which escape is impossible, that the body that pays 
the bills largely controls the policy. An absolutely 
independent church supported by an outside organ- 
ization would be a contradiction in idea. The 
State Conventions have succeeded admirably in a 
simple modification of the principle of independ- 
ence. The humblest little church supported by State 
finances has always been accorded the privilege 
of calling its own pastor. That pastor, however, 
is a missionary of the State Convention. He is ap- 
pointed by the State Board. As pastor, he is re- 
sponsible only to his own church. As a missionary, 
he is responsible to the Board of the Convention. 

A similar plan of organization has been worked 
out in City Mission Societies. The pastors of the 
churches that are helped by a society are mission- 
aries appointed by the Board of Directors, and 
acting under the Superintendent of City Missions. 
The same thing is true of the missionaries of the 
Home Mission Society. In this way in our entire 
system of missionary work in America we have been 
able to leave the independence of the local church 
untouched in all matters of discipline, plans of work, 
statements of creed, conditions of membership, etc. ; 
but our missionary organizations have held the 
right to concur in the call of a pastor, and to deter- 
mine whether he shall continue as their appointed 
missionary. It is clear that this involves a certain 

B 



6 A Baptist Manual 

reasonable modification of absolute independence. 

In foreign missions the modification is still more 
significant. It is a most interesting fact that among 
very primitive people the establishment of local in- 
dependent churches has been of great educational 
value. Democracy has been justified of her chil- 
dren. People have developed under the responsi- 
bility placed upon them for the management of 
their own affairs. And yet, of course, there has 
been a very definite oversight on the part of the mis- 
sionaries. They have indeed exerted a kind of 
apostolic guardianship of the infant churches. The 
relation of the missionary to a number of unified 
churches, of none of which he was a member, has 
been in many respects quite similar to that which 
Paul maintained toward the churches he estab- 
lished. That mixture of paternal authority and 
fraternal counsel, which Paul's wisdom and love 
enabled him so beautifully to develop, has been 
reproduced on scores of mission fields in foreign 
lands. 

These various modifications, if such they may be 
called, of absolute independence have been 'at work 
since the beginning of our history. There have 
always been those who thought that independence 
w r as only compatible with isolation. The great 
movement of the denomination has been in the 
direction of realizing independence in association. 
The modifications of the extreme principle of in- 
dependence have come almost entirely in connec- 



The Principles of Baptist Polity 7 

tion with missionary work. It is not that there 
has been a disposition to exercise control over the 
churches, but there has been the necessity of care 
and guardianship over churches which had not 
yet come to maturity. 

Through these missionary operations there has 
come to be a denominational consciousness. This 
denominational consciousness is so evident that it 
is doubtful whether any body of Christians has a 
clearer right to be considered a denomination than 
the Baptists. The denominational spirit has ex- 
pressed itself finally in great national Conventions. 
There are two * of these in the United States essen- 
tially national in spirit, but necessarily sectional in 
membership. They are delegated bodies. The dele- 
gates are appointed primarily for the purpose of 
representing the churches in the missionary opera- 
tions that are common, but these delegated bodies 
are so manifestly representative of the churches 
that they have come, in a certain sense, to speak for 
the denomination as a whole. 

It may be said, then, that the fundamental prin- 
ciple of the independence of the local church has 
been found in operation to be thoroughly compatible 
with delegated organizations of a district, State, and 
national character. These delegated bodies have 
never authority over any church. They have the 
authority of determining those operations which 

1 Not to speak of the great Negro Convention, which might well claim 
special consideration. 



8 A Baptist Manual 

are common to all the churches, and they have 
the authority which belongs to their representative 
character of speaking, in general, the sense of the 
denomination as a whole. 

Baptists have always insisted upon an independ- 
ence that went very much farther than that of the 
local church. They have stood strongly for the in- 
dependence of the individual. They have insisted 
that the right of the individual conscience must 
stand against any body. Baptists have sometimes 
formulated their views in doctrinal statements for 
the purpose of expressing clearly their common 
creed. Those statements have never been regarded 
as authoritative. No statement, however ancient 
or honored, could ever be made the ground for the 
acceptance or rejection of a Baptist church by an 
Association or a Convention. Many a Baptist 
church has no statement of creed of any kind as its 
basis of organization. The common consent that 
the members of the church accepted in general the 
views commonly believed to be held by the denom- 
ination has been sufficient to bind them together. 
It has been our glory that no legalistic interpreta- 
tion of creedal statute was ever necessary to deter- 
mine the status of a member of a Baptist church. 
We have commonly believed that the unity that has 
so markedly characterized our denomination has 
been to no small extent a result of this general 
agreement, and this freedom from creedal restraint. 
It is probably true to-day that no body of Chris- 



The Principles of Baptist Polity 9 

tians is characterized by such substantial agreement 
of religious views as the Baptist body. And yet it 
has been achieved without heresy trials, without 
authoritative creedal formularies, without any or- 
ganized safeguards. And the development of our 
denominational faith and our denominatioal unity 
will come through this same democratic principle of 
soul liberty. 

Careful observers of the movement of events 
in the denomination can see a trend in our polity 
toward closer denominational affiliation and more 
effective organization. Our fundamental principles 
of liberty are so secure that we are not so fearful 
of organization as in earlier days. Other denomina- 
tions have so largely come to our democratic posi- 
tion that it is perfectly clear that the trend in 
the whole church of Christ is toward democracy. 
There is not the same reason, therefore, for us to 
be afraid of adopting some of the useful methods 
of administration which our fathers rightly regarded 
as dangerous. In our city mission societies, in our 
home mission policy, and in our representative con- 
ventions we are moving toward more definite de- 
nominational unity. 

Some forms and practices w r hich were not used in 
our Baptist churches in the past are being adopted 
rather widely to-day. This does not in any sense 
mean a departure from the spirit that has made 
our history glorious. It means rather that the great 
victory for spiritual religion has been so largely 



/ 



io A Baptist Manual 

won that some matters that were vital in the past 
are of less importance now. We are, therefore, en- 
riching our church life and worship by the addition 
of some of those forms and practices which belong 
to the church universal. 

Our fathers protested against the prayer book, 
not because they believed in the inherent sinfulness 
of written or printed prayers, though sometimes the 
more extreme of them were forced even to this view, 
but because they denied the right of any ecclesias- 
tical body to determine for them when and in what 
manner they should pray. They protested against 
vestments, not because they abhorred appropriate 
apparel in worship, but because they believed the 
heart of the worshiper to be the essential element 
and the garment to be so entirely secondary as 
to become a negligible consideration. They pro- 
tested against the observance of times and seasons, 
not because they believed these things wrong in 
themselves, but because they were employed to 
fetter the free spirit of faith. We are likely to dis- 
cover new beauties in the dignity of formal service 
and appropriate attire, and to find considerable value 
in the observance of those festivals and times of 
religious emphasis which belong to the church. All 
things are ours — Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the prayer 
book, Easter, Lent, and all else — for use in the free 
service of God, but not as an instrument of eccle- 
siastical bondage. 



CHAPTER II 
The Organization of Baptist Churches 

THE right of organization lies in any company 
of Christians who desire to form themselves 
into a self-governing church. It is usual that 
they live sufficiently near to each other to meet 
statedly for worship and to unite in Christian ac- 
tivities. The church thus formed ought to be ap- 
proved by the neighboring churches represented in 
council. This approval would give to it that de- 
nominational recognition which would entitle it to 
full standing as a Baptist church. The right of 
organization is inherent in the local body of be- 
lievers. The right of recognition belongs to the 
sisterhood of churches, with which the local church 
expects fellowship. 

Preparatory steps of organization. It is impor- 
tant that in the organization of a Baptist church 
careful attention should be given to local conditions 
which seem to call for the organization, and also that 
from the beginning the advice and fellowship of 
neighboring churches should be sought. 

Where the Association has an Advisory Commit- 
tee, it is well that its counsel be taken from the out- 
set, otherwise advice should be sought from a neigh- 

ii 



12 A Baptist Manual 

boring pastor of standing and large experience. 

The neighborhood should first be canvassed, and 
a list of prospective members should be obtained. 
It is advisable that these should have signed in 
advance a simple preliminary covenant which will 
afford the basis of a temporary organization. The 
following has been used successfully in cases of 
this kind : 

" For the glory of God, for the service of our fel- 
low-men, and for mutual assistance in our Chris- 
tian life, the undersigned agree to become charter 
members of a Baptist church. " 

The extreme brevity and freedom from tech- 
nicality of such a statement is an advantage. 

A preliminary meeting may be held and a com- 
mittee appointed to present a constitution, covenant, 
and, if desired, articles of faith. Where such a 
preliminary meeting is inexpedient, these documents 
may be prepared in advance by the leaders of the 
movement or by a neighboring pastor. 

A formal call should be issued for the organiza- 
tion, and should become a part of the minutes of the 
meeting. It may be published in a local paper or 
sent individually to prospective members. 

On the appointed date the meeting may be called 
to order by a neighboring pastor, or by some person 
appointed for the purpose. A temporary clerk 
should be elected, and the call for the meeting read. 
The names of the persons who have signified their 
intention of uniting with the church should be read, 



The Organization of Baptist Churches 13 

and if a sufficient number are found to be present, 
the business of the meeting may proceed. A per- 
manent moderator and clerk should now be chosen, 
and prayer offered by the presiding officer, or some 
person upon whom he may call. 

The persons who are to join by letter from other 
churches should produce their credentials, and these 
papers should be submitted to a committee. If there 
is objection to any name proposed, the prospective 
members have a right by vote to refuse to asso- 
ciate that person with themselves as a charter mem- 
ber of the church; but if no objection is raised, the 
names need not be voted upon separately. If the 
committee finds the letters to be in due form, it 
may report favorably upon the prospective member- 
ship as a whole. 

A motion is then in order, and may be in substance 
as follows: " Voted that we now proceed to take 
the necessary steps toward the organization of a 
church of the Lord Jesus Christ to be known as 
the Baptist Church." 

This motion being open for discussion, it should 
be made clear that such a church is needed ; that the 
field is not already covered by neighboring churches ; 
that it has good prospect of reaching self-support 
within a reasonable period, and that those who are 
to constitute the church represent the best interests 
of the community in the undertaking. These mat- 
ers being established, the motion may be adopted. 

The covenant, statement of doctrine, and consti- 



14 A Baptist Manual 

tution and by-laws may now be presented and 
adopted. 

The election of officers will then be in order. If 
deacons and trustees are to be so chosen that terms 
of office do not all expire at once, one officer should 
be elected for one year, another for two, and an- 
other for three, as the constitution may direct. 

It may be wise to adjourn the meeting at this point 
and to complete it at a Sunday covenant service, 
holding the charter membership open until that date. 
In that case the persons to be received into the fel- 
lowship of the church who were not present at the 
business meeting should present themselves and be 
accepted by vote as charter members of the church, 
and the whole body then going forward as their 
names are read may receive the hand of fellowship. 
This service may appropriately be followed by a 
communion service. 

This method of effecting an organization in two 
meetings, one called especially for the transaction 
of business, and the second called upon a Sunday for 
the purpose of joining in the covenant, possesses 
some marked practical advantages. Where it is em- 
ployed there should be a formal vote at the second 
service ratifying the proceedings of the previous 
meeting, and the covenant service should be con- 
sidered an adjourned session of the meeting for 
organization. 

Recognition of a church. A Baptist church or- 
ganized as herein directed will properly seek recog- 



The Organization of Baptist Churches 15 

nition through a council, and later seek admittance 
to the Association. If a council is to be called, it 
should represent fairly the churches of the vicinage, 
and indeed most properly all of the churches in the 
Association of which the new church may expect to 
become a member. A letter missive should be sent 
out in form and in substance like that contained 
in Part II of this book. 

The council, convening on the day appointed and 
being duly organized, should first have presented to 
it all the records of the church from the beginning, 
together with the constitution, creed, and covenant. 
Any further statement concerning the admission of 
such a church may be made, and the council may 
go into executive session to consider the wisdom of 
the undertaking. If it appear to the council that 
the organization is advisable, it should vote first 
to approve the organization, articles of faith, and 
covenant of the church; and, secondly, to recom- 
mend the church to the fellowship of the Associa- 
tion. 

Two copies of the minutes of the council should 
be prepared, signed by the moderator and clerk. 
One of these should be furnished to the clerk of 
the Association and the other to the clerk of the 
church. The latter should be entered in the record 
book of the church and permanently preserved. 

At the next meeting of the Association the church 
should be represented by its pastor and two dele- 
gates, and formal application should be made for 



1 6 A Baptist Manual 

admission. Resolutions to this effect may be sub- 
stantially in the following words : 

Voted that the Baptist Church in 

organized 19 , 

and recognized by the council of the vicinage on 

hereby applies for admission to the 

Association, as a Baptist church in fellowship 

and regular standing. 

The disbanding of a church. Sometimes through 
changes in the population of a community it be- 
comes advisable to disband a church, or to combine 
it with another church. In such a case competent 
advice should be sought to secure all legal rights 
in the premises. If money has been invested in the 
church by the Home Mission Society, the State Con- 
vention, or the City Mission Society, care should be 
taken to secure all the legal and moral equities in- 
volved. Public notice should be given that all mem- 
bers may have knowledge of the proposed action. 
In any case of doubt a council should be called, 
or the advice of the Association should be sought. 
If any considerable number of the members still 
believe the church to be needed, and are willing to 
continue its responsibilities, respectful heed should 
be given to their desires and promises, without, how- 
ever, jeopardizing important interests for what may 
be a too confident hope. If it should finally appear 
that the church is no longer needed the following 
steps may be taken : First, it may be voted that 
this church proceed to take the necessary steps to 



The Organization of Baptist Churches ty 

dispose of its property and to disband. Secondly, 
the trustees should be directed to dispose of the 
property either by deed to the Home Mission So- 
ciety, or in such other way as to provide for the 
proper securing of the interests of the denomination. 
A bill of sale of the personal property should also 
be authorized. In some cases the members of a 
church have divided the property among themselves. 
This may be technically legal, but it is practical 
theft. Even if no society has contributed to the 
church, the money has been given by individuals 
for religious use, and is a sacred trust in the hands 
of the membership. It should always be turned 
over to some representative denominational body. 
Thirdly, it should be voted that the clerk have au- 
thority to grant letters to all members now on the 
rolls of the church to any church of like faith and 
order. Fourthly, it should be voted that the records, 
when completed, be deposited with the clerk of 
the Association. Finally, all necessary business be- 
ing completed, it should be voted that the church do 
now disband. 

Uniting two churches. Two churches, both be- 
ing incorporated and owning their own property, 
may unite by majority vote of both churches, and 
take the name and organization of either, or agree 
upon a new name. The choice of the new name 
does not necessitate the overthrow of the older or- 
ganizations, and the united church under a new 
name may so conduct its business as merely to effect 



1 8 A Baptist Manual 

a reorganization of both churches under the one new 
name. Regardless of the name chosen, the original 
date of the older organization should be retained as 
the date of the organization of the united church. 
To bring this to pass without sacrifice of any vested 
interest a good Christian lawyer should be con- 
sulted; and the matter should be considered care- 
fully by some one with experience in such affairs. 

Members voting against the merger are still mem- 
bers of the united church in good standing, but 
should be given letters if they insist upon it. 

Dividing a church. A church may divide by vote. 
But this action is quite different from that of uni- 
ting two churches, in that the church cannot by 
majority vote dismiss a group of members against 
their individual choice, nor set them apart as those 
to form the new church. By unanimous consent 
the parish might be divided geographically, and, one 
organization taking a new name, each could date 
its records from the beginning of the united church. 
But usually a new church is formed, composed of 
such members as request letters of dismission for 
the purpose of joining it. The question of equi- 
table division of the property is sometimes a very 
difficult one. It has been too easily assumed that the 
members who leave to form the new church must, 
of necessity, go empty-handed. It might well be 
that justice and Christian consideration would re- 
quire that a goodly sum be given to the departing 
members, even if a mortgage would have to be 



The Organization of Baptist Churches 19 

put on the old property in order to start the new 
work. At least the matter should be carefully 
considered, and in some cases should be submitted 
to the arbitration of a council. 

The incorporation of a church. The incorporation 
of a church is a very simple matter. The laws of 
the several States are framed to conform to the 
usages of the various denominations; so that the 
directions here given will, with slight adaptations, fit 
the requirements of most States. In case of any 
doubt it would be well to consult a Christian lawyer, 
who would furnish the form as required in the 
statutes of the State in which the church is situated. 

The following directions are adequate for most 
cases : 

Prepare a written notice to be signed by the num- 
ber of members required by the rules of the local 
church, and preferably by its Board of Trustees, an- 
nouncing that at a regular midweek meeting on a 
certain date the church will be asked to vote upon 
the question of becoming incorporated. Let this 
notice be read from the pulpit one or two Sundays 
before the date of meeting, according to the rules of 
the church. This call should be incorporated in the 
minutes of the meeting. 

A resolution substantially in the following form 
may then be presented: 

Resolved, that this church apply for incorporation under 
the statutes of this State; and that Messrs. A. B., C. D., 
and E. F., now serving as trustees, be the trustees of 



20 A Baptist Manual 

this incorporation; and that they and the chairman and 
secretary of this meeting be authorized and instructed to 
act for the church in the preparation and filing of the 
necessary papers. 

The papers to be filed, which should be ready 
in advance, require in some States the signatures of 
all the incorporators, who must not be less than 
three in number. In other States the chairman or 
secretary of the meeting may make oath to the 
papers, and merely name the trustees. The fol- 
lowing is the form of oath prescribed in some of 
the States. 

State of 

County, ss. 

I, John Doe, do solemnly swear, that at a meeting of 

the members of the Church of 

held at on 

Messrs. A. B., C. D., and E. F. were elected 

trustees, according to the rules and usages of such church. 
And said church adopted as its corporate name, "The 

Baptist Church of " 

and as its corporate seal, the following words : " The 

Baptist Church of ," 

with the following motto and device : , 

the whole to be enclosed in a scroll, and to be either 
written, stamped, or printed. And at said meeting this 
affiant acted as chairman (or secretary). 

(Name) 

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 

day of , 19 

, Notary Public. 



The Organization of Baptist Churches 21 

This affidavit, with a copy of the constitution of 
the church, should be filed with the recorder of 
deeds, or such other officer as the State appoints for 
this purpose. 

Corporate seal. In some of the States a corporate 
seal is positively necessary. Seal presses, such 
as notaries use, are very inexpensive, and a specially 
designed seal, with a motto or device, or both, costs 
very few dollars, and is appropriate. Nearly every 
church has occasion now and then to execute legal 
documents, and in addition to this it is appropriate 
that letters missive, church letters, and similar docu- 
ments should bear a seal. 

The device should be simple, for the impression 
should not exceed two inches in diameter, and it 
should be a design somewhat easily understood. 



CHAPTER III 
The Constitution of a Baptist Church 

THERE is no absolute necessity for a Baptist 
church to have a written constitution and by- 
laws. Many churches proceed, somewhat in 
the manner of the British Parliament, in accordance 
with general precedent, and obedient to such stand- 
ing rules as from time to time may have been 
established. It is altogether desirable, however, in 
accordance with almost universal American usage 
in all kinds of organizations, to have definite rules 
of procedure. New members naturally desire to 
know the proper order of the body which they join, 
and questions of procedure should not be left to 
be determined by the memory of " the oldest in- 
habitant." 

A few general principles are definitely recognized. 

The presiding officer. Unless the constitution of 
the church provides otherwise the pastor is the 
moderator of all business meetings of the church, 
excepting those which relate to his own work or 
salary, or which may have been called for the con- 
sideration of some matter in which he has a per- 
sonal interest. In the absence of the pastor the 
senior deacon may call a meeting of the church to 

22 



The Constitution of a Baptist Church 23 

order and call for the nomination of a moderator, 
or if the meeting is one especially for the considera- 
tion of financial business the chairman of the Board 
of Trustees or of the finance committee, instead 
of the senior deacon, may call the meeting to order. 
There are a few churches which elect a moderator 
for the year to preside at all the business meetings 
of the church. There is difference of opinion upon 
this point, however, but the practice has some ad- 
vantages. 

Records, The clerk of the church should keep a 
correct record of all business transacted by the 
church, and should record it in a permanently bound 
book provided for that purpose. It is not necessary 
that he should record motions made and lost, nor the 
names of those who participate in the discussions, 
nor in general the number of votes cast for or 
against a motion or a candidate for office. 

The important items to be entered upon the 
records are: First, the time and place of the meet- 
ing, with a copy of the call, if a special call has 
been issued. Secondly, the devotional service with 
which the meeting is opened. Thirdly, the name of 
the moderator. Fourthly, the reading of past 
records and their approval by the church. Fifthly, 
the business transacted, including reports of com- 
mittees, which need not be copied in full, but which 
should be referred to and kept on file and whose 
formal recommendations should be included in the 
minutes. Sixthly, the full text of all resolutions 



24 A Baptist Manual 

or motions passed by the church. Seventhly, ad- 
journment. Eighthly, signature of the clerk. 1 

Unless there is a demand for a yea and nay vote 
the names of persons favoring or opposing a meas- 
ure should not be recorded. It is not generally 
necessary or expedient to record the names of per- 
sons making routine motions, but formal resolutions 
should be recorded with the name of the member 
proposing them, or the committee or the Board by 
which they are presented. 

All motions that are formal in their nature and 
whose full substance may not easily be gathered by 
the clerk when verbally stated, should be submitted 
in writing. 

The financial management of the church. The 
officers who have charge of the finances of the 
church should be men of unquestioned probity. 
They should be men of experience and of recog- 
nized character, and should attend to the business 
affairs of the church with promptness and accuracy. 
The treasurer should be a man of blameless honesty, 
and should be protected by all the safeguards that 
would be employed in any business of like respon- 
sibility. If there is a local bank he should deposit 
all money of the church and pay all bills with 
checks, retaining vouchers for each expenditure, 
and having all his accounts thoroughly audited. He 
should keep all the benevolent funds of the church 

i "The Church Clerk," by Rev. Z. Grenell, D. D., American Baptist 
Publication Society, is an excellent compendium of the duties of this 
officer. 



The Constitution of a Baptist Church 25 

separate from those for current expenses ; and, of 
course, should keep all church moneys entirely 
separate from his own money. These are simple 
suggestions and ought to be needless. 

In many churches the financial management is in 
the hands of the trustees. The best experience 
seems to indicate, however, that it is wise to give 
to the trustees merely the legal duties belonging to 
them under the statute. They may have the care of 
the building, and represent the church in all legal 
matters. It is very much wiser for the financial 
management to be in the hands of a less stable body. 
A finance committee, including the treasurer of the 
church, appointed every year, is likely to remain 
nearer to the membership of the church than the 
trustees, who are appointed for long terms and for 
a different purpose. 

The unity of the church organization. It is de- 
sirable that the constitution should provide that all 
societies should be part of the single church organ- 
ization. Great harm has come from the loose idea 
that the church is the body meeting for worship, 
while men's clubs, and women's societies, and young 
people's societies, and the Sunday-school, and a 
dozen other organizations are separate bodies alto- 
gether autonomous. Each of these should be defin- 
itely related to the church itself. The pastor and 
deacons should have a general oversight of them all. 

Business meetings. The ordinary business of 
the church mav be transacted at any midweek meet- 



26 A Baptist Manual 

ing, or in case of necessity at any Sunday service, 
without previous notice. Record should always be 
carefully kept of such business. If the clerk is not 
present a temporary clerk should be appointed. It 
is customary for constitutions to specify the num- 
ber of members who must be present in order to 
constitute a quorum. No question involving the 
appropriation of money, or important changes in the 
policy of the church, or amendment to its sys- 
tem of doctrine or rules, should be undertaken with- 
out previous public notice. In general, propositions 
contemplating the expenditure of money should pre- 
viously be considered by the Finance Committee, 
and matters affecting the policy and doctrine of the 
church should be considered in advance by the dea- 
cons. This is not legally necessary, but it is a cour- 
teous recognition of those in office, and almost in- 
variably a motion gains greatly in favor if the per- 
son proposing it is able to say that this has received 
the approval of the official Board which it most 
nearly concerns. 

When special meetings are called by a group of 
members, or by one of the official Boards, the call 
signed by the members who have drafted it should 
be read from the pulpit on the Sunday previous to 
the meeting and incorporated into the minutes of 
the meetings. 

Annual church meetings. Annual meetings of the 
church, and meetings for the election of officers, 
should be conducted with special care to express the 



The Constitution of a Baptist Church 27 

will of the church, and to preserve its records. The 
reports of the treasurer should be audited and ap- 
proved. The records of the clerk should be certi- 
fied. All branches of the church work should be 
heard from, and the officers should be elected with 
care to conform to all the requirements of the 
church constitution and rules. All things should be 
done decently and in order, and with a view to 
edifying. N^ 

The form of constitution. Each church should 
prepare its constitution to meet its own special 
needs. A form of constitution which is not unduly 
elaborate so as to be incapable of adaptation has been 
prepared, and will be found in Part II. It should, of 
course, be kept in mind, as is suggested in connec- 
tion with the Rules of Order, that a church is not 
to be conducted with the punctilious exactness of a 
debating society. The member who is continually 
rising to a point of order is a nuisance. At the 
same time an orderly and regular procedure is con- 
ducive alike to efficiency and harmony. The con- 
stitution, therefore, may well cover everything that 
is likely to arise in the general conduct of the church. 



CHAPTER IV 
The Conduct of Church Meetings 

THE constitution and by-laws of the church are 
its supreme law. But the general conduct of 
its business is amenable to the ordinary rules 
of deliberative bodies. It is usual to specify in the 
by-laws some standard manual of parliamentary law 
as that which shall be followed. Robert's " Rules of 
Order " is most commonly employed, although Bar- 
ton's " Rules of Order for Ecclesiastical Assem- 
blies " is being found more satisfactory for church 
meetings. The rules should be followed with care, 
as orderly procedure tends to facilitate business ; but 
it is a great mistake to endeavor to conduct a church 
meeting with the precision of a session of Congress. 
In large meetings, however, such as the Northern 
and Southern Baptist Conventions, the absolute 
exactness of parliamentary procedure is of very 
great importance. 

Opening a meeting. The moderator announces 
that the assembly will be in order, and then calls 
upon some member to offer prayer. The minutes 
of the preceding meeting should then be read and 
approved. If brief business is done at regular mid- 
week meetings and a more formal business meeting 
28 



The Conduct of Church Meetings 29 

is held once a month, the minutes of all the business 
should be read at the latter meeting. 

The introduction of business. Business may 
come before the church by reports of officers and 
committees or by motions duly made and seconded. 
There should be a regular order in which officers 
and standing committees make reports upon the 
business committed to their care. If these reports 
relate simply to what has been done, and contain 
no specific recommendations, it is sufficient that a 
motion be made after each report has been read that 
it " be received/' The motion is really unnecessary, 
but is a courteous expression of general approval. 
If, however, a standing or special committee makes 
recommendations, these require more definite action. 
The most correct form is for the chairman of the 
committee to present its recommendations in a series 
of resolutions, and to move that the church adopt 
them. This, however, is not commonly done. The 
committee states in its report what action it advises 
the church to take. If no one desires that such 
action be taken the motion to receive the report ends 
the matter. If some member approves the recom- 
mendation he should move that it be adopted. This 
opens the subject for discussion, and further action 
will be in accordance with the rules governing mo- 
tions. 

The disposition of a question. The motion to 
adopt the recommendations of a committee, or a 
motion to take some definite action of any kind, 



30 A Baptist Manual 

having been made, the moderator should state it 
clearly and give opportunity for discussion. It may 
be disposed of in one of the following ways : 

1. By simple vote it may be carried or lost. 

2. It may be changed in any way desired by an 
amendment. Such amendment must be discussed 
and voted upon before the main motion can be 
further considered. The amendment may itself be 
amended in the same way, but the process cannot 
go further. 

3. If the amendment is lost the question recurs 
to its original form. If it has been carried, the 
question is still before the meeting in its amended 
form, and must be voted upon. 

4. If it is desired to take somewhat different 
action than the motion contemplates, but which is 
too far different to be put in the form of amendment, 
a substitute motion may be offered. This has the 
same character as an amendment. If lost, the ques- 
tion recurs to its original form. But if the sub- 
stitute is carried it must still be voted upon again 
as the main motion. 

5. If it is felt that the meeting is not ready to 
discuss the motion, but that a committee should 
first consider it, a motion may be made to refer it 
to a committee; or, if it is desired to refer it back to 
the committee from which it came, the motion 
should be to " recommit/' The matter will then 
come before the church again when this committee 
reports. 



The Conduct of Church Meetings 31 

6. If it is desired to get rid of the whole matter 
without discussion, the simplest motion is to "lay- 
on the table." This is undebatable and must be 
at once put. It should not be employed to stifle 
discussion in any discourteous manner, but is very 
useful when no definite action is desirable. 

7. If simple postponement is desired the motion 
should not be to lay on the table, but to " postpone 
to a certain time." This motion is not debatable. 

The point of order. The moderator decides the 
method of procedure, but if he makes mistake and 
allows some matter to be done irregularly, it is 
permissible for any member to call his attention to 
the fact. The form is the statement : " I rise to a 
point of order." This may be done at any time. 
The moderator will ask the objector to state his 
point, and will then give his decision. If the mem- 
ber still objects to the decision he may appeal to 
the meeting, using the form, " I appeal from the 
decision of the chair." This must receive a second. 
The moderator will then put the motion in the form, 
" Shall the decision of the chair stand as the judg- 
ment of the church? " An affirmative vote will sus- 
tain his decision; a negative vote will reverse it. 
It need hardly be said that points of order should 
be raised in church meetings only in the kindest 
spirit, and only if some very serious breach of order 
seems to be made; and that an appeal from the 
chair should not be taken unless gravely necessary. 

Making a motion.' In making a motion one 



32 A Baptist Manual 

should rise and address the chair. On recognition 
by the chair he proceeds to make his motion. All 
motions must receive a second in order to be enter- 
tained. Lost motions are not usually recorded. In 
discriminating as to persons addressing the chair 
at the same time the chairman recognizes first the 
most distant speaker, the largest number, and the 
most remote date. 

Voting. The vote is usually taken by show of 
hands or by saying aye and no. If the chair is in 
doubt, a rising vote should be taken. Elections 
should generally be by ballot. 

It should be understood that the motion that 
" the secretary cast the ballot " is really a unanimous 
agreement that every one except the secretary shall 
refrain from voting. If, therefore one other per- 
son desires to vote, this form of election by ballot 
cannot be used. 

Adjournment. Formal business meetings close 
by a motion to adjourn. This may be amended 
if it is thought desirable to fix a set time to which 
adjournment shall be made. A motion to adjourn 
is not debatable, and when seconded must be put. 



CHAPTER V 
The Church axd Society 

REASON for the society. Many of the older 
Baptist churches have societies affiliated with 
them for the purpose of holding and mana- 
ging the church property. This double system of 
church and society is a legacy from old days in 
New England, when a church could not become in- 
corporated, and the parish owned the church prop- 
erty and provided for the support of public worship. 

It has been argued in defense of the system that 
it enables men of good judgment, who are well dis- 
posed toward the church and are supporters of it, 
to assume definite responsibility with reference to 
the business affairs of the church, in which affairs 
their judgment is often of real worth. But it is a 
cumbersome arrangement, involving occasional em- 
barrassment, and few of the new churches adopt it. 
Many churches that formerly employed the system 
have changed to a single organization. 

Powers and limitations. Where the society exists, 
it is a holding corporation, managing the business 
interests of the church. It owns the church prop- 
erty, subject to the use of the church, but can 
have no power to alienate the property, or to use it 

33 



34 A Baptist Manual 

for purposes contrary to the welfare of the church. 
It can, however, refuse to provide means for the 
repair of the building or for the support of its 
minister, and this it sometimes has been known to 
do, though happily not frequently. 

Both church and society must concur in the call 
of a pastor. The action must originate with the 
church, the society having no power to begin pro- 
ceedings looking toward the securing of the min- 
ister. The church having issued an invitation to a 
pastor, first notifies the society of its proposed call, 
and the society considers whether it will concur 
in the call, and provide the support of the minister. 
The society has sole power to fix the compensation 
of the pastor, and is the only body that can be sued. 
The church alone is responsible for the conduct 
of the pastor, who is not commonly a member of 
the society, but is invariably a member of the church. 
Should the minister displease the society, he can- 
not be expelled by that body without the consent of 
the church. The society can, however, refuse to 
support him. If he has a contract for a definite 
period, his salary can be collected from the society 
by civil process. Should the church desire to ter- 
minate the pastorate, the concurrence of the so- 
ciety must be secured. 

It is rather remarkable that so complicated a sys- 
tem has not given rise to more frequent friction. 
Usually the arrangement has worked well, although 
it is an unequal yoking together of things unlike. 



The Church and Society 35 

In nearly if not all the States now, a church 
can incorporate as a " corporation not for profit." 
As such a corporation it has full power to hold its 
own property, and conduct its own business. Where 
the double system of organization exists, and it is 
desired to simplify the arrangement, the church 
should first secure incorporation. The society then 
at a special meeting, in whose call the purpose of 
the meeting is definitely stated, should transfer all 
its property to the church, the land and building by 
deed and the personal property by bill of sale. The 
transfer being completed, the society may disband. 
In case of any question of property rights the guid- 
ance of a lawyer may be sought, but the process is 
a simple one where all parties are in agreement. 

In view of the manifest disadvantages, and of 
the passing of the condition which in the begin- 
ning made necessary the organization of the society, 
it is earnestly recommended that new churches avoid 
this needless complication, and that wherever con- 
ditions are favorable to such action, the society con- 
vey its property to the incorporated church with 
which it is affiliated, and then disband. 



A 



CHAPTER VI 

Church Membership 

\ BAPTIST church is a democratic body. All 
members have equal privileges. In the older 
churches only adult male members voted in 
matters pertaining to the business of the church, 
and many churches fix a minimum age, below which 
children are not entitled to vote. In all matters re- 
lating to important changes in the constitution or 
transfer of property, votes should be cast only by 
persons of legal age, or of an age specified in the 
constitution. Except for these simple restrictions, 
all the members of a Baptist church stand upon an 
equal basis. All officers are chosen by the body of 
the church, and the final voice is that of the people. 
Conditions of membership. The conditions of 
membership in a Baptist church are (i) confession 
of loyalty to Christ by submission to the ordinance 
of baptism as practised in the New Testament 
church, (2) assent to its covenant, and (3) the af- 
firmative vote of the majority of the members 
present and voting at a meeting of the church where 
such business may properly be transacted. The 
covenant should be brief and simple, and have 
embodied in it a brief confession of faith in 

36 



Church Membership 37 

Christ, and the promise to submit to the government 
and discipline of the church, to walk with the mem- 
bers of the church as Christian brethren, and to 
promote the edification, purity, and peace of the 
church until regularly dismissed therefrom. 

Assent to the creed is not a necessary condition 
of church-membership in a Baptist church. The 
creed is an attempt to embody the substance of that 
faith in which the church interprets the word of 
God, but the word of God itself and not the creed 
offers the final test. The creed, however, is not to 
be disregarded by any member of the church, al- 
though it admits of a very wide latitude of inter- 
pretation, and is always adopted as a document 
subject to revision. 

A person desiring membership in a Baptist church 
is first examined as to his fitness for membership. 
This examination may be conducted before the 
whole body of the church, or it may be delegated 
to a committee composed of the pastor and deacons, 
or of such other members as the church appoints. 
It is not the purpose of such an examination to 
break the bruised reed nor quench the dimly burn- 
ing light; but he that is weak in the faith is com- 
monly received, and not to doubtful disputations. 
An examination conducted in a spirit of Christian 
kindness is of value in protecting the church against 
unworthy members, and also affords a profitable in- 
troduction to new members. 

A candidate having been examined as to his fit- 

D 



38 A Baptist Manual 

ness for membership, and having been approved by 
the examining body, is recommended for member- 
ship in the church. He makes a simple statement of 
his faith and desire to unite with the church by 
baptism. It is the right of any member to ask 
questions of the candidate, but this right should be 
used only with kindness. Questions should never 
be inquisitorial unless the interrogator has good 
grounds to fear that an unworthy person is about to 
be received. The proper form of motion is that 
the candidate be accepted and after baptism be 
received into the membership of the church. Some- 
times the applicant is required to withdraw while 
the vote is taken, but this is not essential, nor in- 
deed wholly desirable. 

Persons desiring to unite by letter should present 
their letters to the pastor or chairman of the dea- 
cons. Letters should be acted on only upon recom- 
mendation of the deacons. This may generally be 
a mere formality, but sometimes may afford a most 
valuable opportunity for investigation. 

It is usual for the minister at the following com- 
munion service to extend to each of the new mem- 
bers the hand of fellowship, and to address to each 
one a word of greeting and encouragement. This, 
however, is not essential to membership, and the 
failure to receive the hand of fellowship in no way 
impairs membership. 

The rights of members. Each member of a 
church has a right to share in its public worship, to 



Church Membership 39 

participate in its meetings for conference and prayer, 
to discuss proposed measures and changes, and, sub- 
ject to such age restriction as the constitution may 
require, to vote in tHe transaction of its business 
and in the election of its officers. Each member is 
eligible to any office in the gift of the church — the 
church having full authority to constitute one of its 
own members a trustee, a deacon, or even a minis- 
ter; and the minister, whether elected from the 
membership of the church or called from another 
church to become its minister, is a member of the 
church in all respects and with rights the same as 
those of the laity. 

Each member of the church is sole custodian of 
his own conscience, having a right to interpret the 
Scriptures and to determine his own conduct in the 
light of that interpretation, so long as his conduct 
does not infringe upon the rights of others, nor dis- 
turb the peace or impugn the good name of the 
church. It is not essential to Christian fellowship 
that all members of the church should think alike, or 
that the creed should be held in such complete uni- 
formity of interpretation as to fetter the conscience 
of the members. The member who has come to 
differ from the creed of the church need not too 
hastily assume that he has no further right to be a 
member of the body. He has the right to induce 
the church to change its creed if he can; and if 
he fails in this endeavor, he still may consider 
whether his own change of faith is such as to pre- 



40 A Baptist Manual 

vent his continuing in fellowship with his brethren 
in the spirit of the church covenant. By that cove- 
nant he is bound to seek the edification, purity, and 
peace of the church. He has no right to disturb the 
church by wearisome, profitless discussion, nor has 
the church a right to impose upon him any undue 
tests in the name of Christian faith, nor to call un- 
clean and common that which God has cleansed. 
The final test is that of Christian character. " As 
many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are 
the sons of God." " He that doeth righteousness is 
righteous, even as he is righteous/' 

The majority rule. Yet it is desirable that the 
unity of the Spirit shall be preserved in the bonds 
of peace. An inconsiderate majority, determined to 
rule by mere force of numbers, and a peevish, vin- 
dictive minority, have neither of them any proper 
place in a Christian church. We cannot all think 
alike, but we can all love alike; and the majority 
vote is of value, not in determining who may " rule " 
in arrogant dominion, but what is the mind of the 
Spirit expressed through the united membership of 
the church, which is the body of Christ. 

The rights of the minority. The principle that 
in a Baptist church the majority rules, is not to be 
understood in such a sense as that a member is 
deprived of any right on account of being in the 
minority. It is his indisputable right to be in the 
minority if he chooses to be so. He is to hold his 
opinion and express it freely, but always in charity ; 



Church Membership 41 

and so long as he does this he cannot be censured 
for not voting with the majority. 

When a church adopts new methods or creed tests 
and a minority refuse to accept them, they are not 
thereby disfellowshiped nor subject to any dis- 
ability. 

Duties of members of the church. It is the duty 
of every member of the church to perform faithfully 
the letter and spirit of its covenant, to separate him- 
self from sin and the appearance of evil, to make 
the rule of Christ the test of his worldly business 
and amusements, and to live a life of prayer and 
obedience to the word of God. It is his duty to 
attend the services of the church as regularly as may 
be, and to contribute to its support and to its be- 
nevolent agencies, in proportion to his ability and 
to the point of personal sacrifice. It is his duty to 
exercise toward his fellow-members a spirit of 
Christian courtesy and consideration, bearing with 
the weak and manifesting toward all the spirit of 
Christian brotherhood, which is the spirit of Christ. 
Each member should find some sphere of activity in 
which he may perform some duty peculiarly his 
own. 

Dismission. A member of a church removing to 
another locality or desiring for any other good rea- 
son to change his church relations, may apply for a 
letter of dismission from the church of which he is 
a member, and of recommendation to another church 
with which it is in fellowship. Such letters are 



42 A Baptist Manual 

granted by all Baptist churches to churches of our 
own faith. In order to avoid the necessity of pass- 
ing upon the evangelical status of churches of other 
denominations, it has not been customary to grant 
letters to members going from our own to such 
other bodies. A member is always entitled, how- 
ever, to a certificate of his Christian standing in 
the church. This serves all the purposes of a letter 
of dismission, and when it is formally granted to an 
applicant has the effect of terminating his mem- 
bership. Forms of letters will be found in Part II. 

Letters of dismission should be requested in per- 
son or by writing. A letter requesting dismission 
may properly convey to the church some expression 
of Christian fellowship, of happy memory, and of 
continued interest. 

A letter of dismission granted to a member must 
be addressed to a particular church. It is not 
orderly to give letters not designating the church 
to which they are to be presented. There is an 
erroneous opinion held by many that they possess 
by right a letter of church membership, which may 
be " put into " or " taken out of " a church at will. 
A disaffected member often " calls " for his letter. 
Of course he has no letter. He has a church- 
membership, which he may rightly have changed 
from one church to another, but he cannot hold 
his membership in suspension. He cannot obtain a 
" demit." It has generally been held that a member 
cannot resign, but resignation from any organization 



Church Membership 43 

is an inherent right, which the church should be the 
last body to deny. 

What is good and regular standing? A letter cer- 
tifying that a member is in good and regular stand- 
ing merely testifies that there are no charges against 
him. It does not certify that he is in all respects 
what those voting for the letter could wish him to 
be. The expression " good and regular standing " 
is technical, and is that which describes the status 
of all members who are not under discipline. 

When may a church refuse a letter? A church 
may always refuse a letter to a member under dis- 
cipline, or to one who is concerned in a recent 
scandal or misdemeanor, and who applies for a letter 
to protect himself from discipline. But a church 
that has carried on its roll the name of a member 
who is negligent or unfaithful to duty, and has long 
been known as such, and which has neglected to 
discipline him, may not bring him to trial for long- 
past offenses after he has applied for his letter. 
But it may refuse him a letter if in addition he has 
been guilty of recent and more gross offenses; or if 
the failure of the church to bring him to trial has 
been by reason of a desire to labor with him in 
private in the hope of bringing him to repentance. 

Status of dismissed members. Members dis- 
missed by letter remain theoretically members of the 
church until the letter is accepted by another church. 
The period of a letter's validity is commonly limited 
to six months. After' that time it lapses, and the 



44 A Baptist Manual 

member remains in the church of his former mem- 
bership. In practice, however, most churches erase 
the name of a member as soon as a letter is granted. 
It may easily happen therefore that one loses mem- 
bership in one church without gaining it in another. 
Churches should regard dismissed members as non- 
resident until notified of their reception by some 
other church. The difficulty in the way of this regu- 
lar procedure is the carelessness of clerks in sending 
such notifications. If the regular course is pursued, 
at the end of one year or two years, as the church 
may provide in its constitution, the name of the 
absent member may be placed on the absent list. 
Letters subsequently granted to such members 
should be on condition that the member shall ac- 
count for his conduct in the interval. 

Dropping names from roll. Persons who have 
been absent from a church for a period of years 
and have not been heard from may be dropped from 
the membership of the church by vote of the church, 
the names having been read at a previous meeting. 
The custom of dropping names is comparatively 
modern and has been much opposed, many good 
authorities contending that in such case the church 
has no alternative but excommunication. The cus- 
tom, however, has attained recognized standing, and 
is certain to be established because of its mani- 
fest usefulness. A church cannot be compelled to 
cumber its roll indefinitely with the frames of per- 
sons long absent, who may be no longer living, nor 



Church Membership 45 

can it be compelled to excommunicate members 
against whom it has no positive knowledge of un- 
christian conduct. The practice of dropping names, 
while needing to be kept free from abuse, is one 
that deserves recognition as an established Baptist 
custom. 

Questions sometimes arise concerning the grant- 
ing of a letter to a person whose name has been 
dropped. Cases have been known where mem- 
bers, after a long interval, have requested a let- 
ter after their names have disappeared from the 
roll. If the former member shows reasonable evi- 
dence that he has continued to live a Christian 
life, or if he gives evidence of recent conversion, the 
church has option of two courses. First, it may 
reinstate him for the purpose of granting him a 
regular letter. This can be done at any business 
meeting of the church. Secondly, the church may 
issue a certificate that he became a member on a 
certain date and remained in fellowship with the 
church until a certain time when he removed from 
the vicinity of the church; that during that period he 
was a member in good standing; that on account of 
long absence his name had been removed from the 
roll; and that the church, while unable to grant 
him an ordinary letter of recognition, rejoices to 
know of his desire for a renewal of church rela- 
tions. 

Letters without dismission. A member of a 
church contemplating prolonged absence and de- 



46 A Baptist Manual 

siring to establish relations with Christians in other 
places may ask the church for a letter of recognition 
without dismission. Such letters have the force of 
a vote of confidence and of Christian introduction. 
They may be granted by the pastor or the clerk 
of the church without a special vote of authoriza- 
tion. Such letters have become common in churches 
in the vicinity of colleges where young people desire 
to establish church relations during the years of 
their college course without terminating their mem- 
bership in the home church. Such letters are use- 
ful and the custom deserves to be more widely 
adopted. 

Dismission to other evangelical organizations. If 
a member of the church in good standing requests 
dismission to another evangelical body, he should be 
labored with in love, and every right endeavor put 
forth to retain him in the fellowship of the church. 
But if he insist, he should not be thrust out harshly, 
nor merely dropped from the roll. While a letter 
cannot be addressed to that evangelical body, the 
member may be given a certificate that up to the 
time of his dismission he was a member in regular 
standing, and that his membership is terminated at 
his own request. 

Discipline of church members. Any member of a 
church who is guilty of gross irregularity of conduct 
may be disciplined by the church. In all such cases 
the usual rule to be followed is that laid down by the 
Lord Jesus in Matthew 18. Where the offense is 



Church Membership 47 

private between two members of the church, these 
two should seek by all reasonable means to settle 
the matter amicably between themselves. If this 
fails, they may call in one or more Christian 
brethren, through whose counsel, prayer, and ad- 
monition they may hope for a brotherly settlement 
of their differences. Very rarely should it be neces- 
sary to bring such matters up before the body of the 
church. 

Where the matter is private but does not directly 
involve another member of the church, yet is known 
to one or more members, he who has knowledge of 
the fault should go in a Christian spirit to the 
offender and endeavor to secure his acknowledg- 
ment of the wrong he has done and of his promise 
to forsake it. If he fails in this endeavor he may 
invite two or three members of the church in the 
hope that they may effect penitence and a recon- 
ciliation. 

Where the matter involves grave public scandal, 
any member of the church, but preferably the of- 
ficers, may at once approach the offender and re- 
quest him to protect the good name of the church 
and to save the name of Christ from dishonor, by 
forsaking his evil way and making public confes- 
sion of his fault. 

If these measures fail, the matter may be pre- 
sented to the church in a formal complaint, speci- 
fying the wrong that has been done and relating the 
steps that have already been undertaken in the hope 



48 A Baptist Manual 

of reconciliation. The church may appoint a time 
to hear the complaint and furnish notice of the time 
and a full copy of the charge to the person accused. 
If it is inexpedient that the trial should be conducted 
by the church as a whole, the church may appoint 
a committee to inquire into the case and to make 
its report to the church. 

If the offending brother ignores the invitation of 
the church or its committee and refuses to attend the 
meeting of inquiry, the church may proceed without 
him, and hear the evidence and deal with the matter 
as shall seem best. In that case, however, a mem- 
ber should be appointed to represent the one con- 
cerned, and to secure his interests against haste or 
prejudice. 

Testimony at church trials, A church has no au- 
thority to compel witnesses or to administer oaths. 
It must secure its evidence as it can. On the other 
hand it is by no means bound to the narrow limits 
of court procedure. In the absence of opposing 
testimony it must assume that actions mean what 
they seem to mean, that conduct springs from such 
motives as generally result in those acts, and that 
associations involve the relationship and acts which 
they seem to imply. The frequenting of improper 
places without a manifest good reason with the 
result of scandal must be held to involve the con- 
duct which those places suggest. What is called 
" common fame " or generally accepted report must 
be given due weight in ecclesiastical trials, as it 



Church Membership 49 

does not and cannot have in courts of law. The 
man who so conducts himself as to incur the 
appearance of evil and to bring discredit upon the 
name of the church, and who is persistent and 
obdurate in that offense, and who oilers no reason- 
able explanation, cannot compel the church to prove 
him guilty of specific acts of immorality. The 
church may properly act upon the appearance which 
he has chosen to give to his conduct. 

The exclusion of a member. A member of a 
church may be publicly reprimanded, suspended 
for a period, or excommunicated. The common 
form of the vote of excommunication is expressed 
in the words that the church " withdraw fellowship " 
from such a member. It is a motion happily not 
often employed, and should be used, when at all, 
with prayer and tears. 

The right of a church to discipline its members. 
The church has an inherent right belonging to all 
deliberative bodies to enforce its own laws and 
punish offenders against them. It has no power of 
punishment, however, beyond that of exclusion 
from its membership. It has no right to establish 
a boycott against the person's business, nor to per- 
secute him in his subsequent efforts to establish 
church relationship or to earn a living. It has the 
right, however, to give official information in re- 
sponse to inquiries to other churches, or to those 
who have a right to know, for their protection, the 
character and history of the man. A member of 



50 A Baptist Manual 

a church can recover damages even when the truth 
is told against him, if that truth is told vindictively 
and without a manifest necessity. An official com- 
munication, however, from an accredited officer of 
one church to another for its protection against an 
evil-doer is privileged, and not subject to the law 
of libel. 

The law of libel. A man's reputation as a present 
or former member of the church is a very sacred 
thing, and the courts will not lightly regard any at- 
tempt to defame or persecute an excommunicated 
member, even though he is guilty. In general, the 
principle is that the right of a church to discipline 
its members holds only within the sphere of his 
church-membership. If a church has withdrawn 
fellowship from a member, it should not publish 
the fact to his harm, unless it is impelled to do so for 
its own protection, or for the protection of sister 
churches. It has an inherent right to purge its 
own roll from unworthy members, to free its good 
name from the dishonor of their scandals, and 
to protect other churches from dishonor. But it 
has no right to libel any person, even with the 
truth. 

" A libel is a malicious defamation expressed 
either by writing, or printing, or by signs, pictures, 
effigies, or the like, tending to blacken the memory 
of one who is dead, or to impeach the honesty, in- 
tegrity, virtue, or reputation, or publish the natural 
or alleged defects of one who is alive, and there- 



Church Membership 51 

by expose him to public hatred, contempt, ridicule, 
or obloquy; or to cause him to be shunned or 
avoided, or to injure him in his office, business, or 
occupation/' 

The above definition is taken from the American 
and English Encyclopedia of Law, and is attributed 
by its author to no single authority, but is rather 
the result of the examination of many authorities, 
and is believed to set out all the essential elements 
of libel. 

At common law in civil action the truth of the 
charge will be a sufficient justification apart from 
any question of good faith or want of malice on 
the part of the defendant, and independently of the 
time when the knowledge of the truth came to the 
defendant. 

But under constitutional or statutory provisions 
in some jurisdictions the defendant cannot exempt 
himself from liability for publishing a libel simply 
by showing that the charge was true, but must go 
further and show that the publication was made 
under such circumstances as to justify the con- 
clusions that he acted with good motives and for 
justifiable ends. The rule laid down under statute 
in Massachusetts is that truth of libelous matter 
may be given in evidence, and forms a complete de- 
fense unless malicious intention is shown, the bur- 
den being on the plaintiff to show malice. 

In Illinois the statute provides that : " In all 
prosecutions for libel, the truth, when published 



52 A Baptist Manual 

with good motives, and for justifiable ends, shall be 
a sufficient defense." 

The burden of proof is upon the defendant to 
establish the truth of the charge; and matter of 
justification, to be of any avail, must meet and 
answer the substance of the libelous charge. The 
letter and form of the charge are not required, but 
the essence is indispensable. 



CHAPTER VII 
The Baptist Minister 

IT is theoretically the right of every church to 
ordain its own minister, but the minister so or- 
dained has standing only in that church, except 
as other churches in fellowship may have knowl- 
edge of the act and acknowledge it as authoritative 
and orderly. For the protection of the churches, 
however, the responsibility of ordaining ministers 
is delegated to councils. The form of the finding 
of the council is that of recommendation to the 
church to ordain, but in practice the matter rests 
really with the council. 

Any church may delegate to one of its members 
authority to administer baptism or the Lord's Sup- 
per within that church. Even the Roman Catholic 
Church believes in the right of lay baptism when 
no priest can be procured. In the administration 
of the Lord's Supper the need has more frequently 
arisen, in scattered communities, that an unor- 
dained person, acting for the time as the spiritual 
leader of the church, should be empowered to ad- 
minister the ordinances of the church. The oc- 
casions for the exercise of such power on the part 
of the local body, however, are increasingly infre- 
e 53 



54 A Baptist Manual 

quent, and no church should avail itself of this 
liberty except in extreme emergencies. So far as 
orderly Baptist procedure is concerned we may treat 
of entrance into the ministry as a function of the 
church at large through a council, which the 
churches call for that purpose. 

The status of the ordained minister. As a matter 
of Baptist usage, a minister ordained by a local 
church to be its pastor, and having no other rela- 
tion to the churches at large, would have no stand- 
ing, ecclesiastical or legal, as a minister outside that 
church. It would be a question whether his name 
would appear in the " Year-Book " as a minister, 
He would be, in our theory, just what he was in the 
old New England theory, a minister within his own 
church, but in no other local congregation. The 
Massachusetts courts, in a test case involving the 
ordination of a Congregational minister, decided 
that such a man is not a minister, and is liable to the 
penalty of the law if he performs a marriage service. 

While the Baptist theory of ordination is not that 
of admittance to holy orders, in which the clergy- 
man is separated sacerdotally from the laity, it does 
involve the idea of a permanent setting apart to a 
ministry which has relation to the church of Christ 
as a whole, and specifically to the denomination as a 
whole. The minister has relations at once that are 
wider than those to the local church. Hence the 
counsel of the churches is sought in ordination, and 
the act is one of denominational significance. The 



The Baptist Minister 55 

customary form of the finding of the council is 
that of a recommendation to the church to ordain. 
So the king of Great BriFain takes the advice of 
his cabinet as to whether he will approve a bill, 
but usage has long ago settled^the question of royal 
prerogative. In effect, therefore, a man is ordained 
to the ministry by a council. 

So further, the local church, which can, of course, 
terminate a pastorate, cannot terminate a ministry. 
A minister may not be deposed from the ministry 
except by the same careful and representative con- 
sideration that admitted him. Again, the finding of 
a council would take the form of a recommenda- 
tion to the church (not the church in which he was 
ordained, but that of which he is at the time a mem- 
ber) to withdraw his ordination papers. But, in 
effect, it is the council that deposes the minister. 

A word should be said regarding the minister who 
voluntarily leaves the ministry for a distinctly secu- 
lar calling. The distinction between holy orders and 
Baptist ordination here permits of a very simple 
solution of this practical problem. In ordinary 
cases, the man simply informally ceases to be a 
minister. His own good judgment should lead him 
to cease to use the prefix reverend, which is only, 
in any case, a traditional form preserved for con- 
venience among us, and he should quietly with- 
draw his name from published lists of the ministry. 

The termination of a pastorate. That the ter- 
mination of a pastorate so seldom occasions trouble 



56 A Baptist Manual 

in the church is greatly to the honor of the min- 
istry, and somewhat to the honor of the churches 
as well. For, while a majority vote is necessary 
to dismiss a minister, still there are few churches 
in which a small determined minority cannot force 
a pastor's resignation. Churches with practical 
unanimity spend their entire revenue and have little 
financial margin from year to year; so that the 
mere refusal of a very few people to continue their 
support is often sufficient to occasion a feeling of 
restiveness on the part of those who bear the finan- 
cial burdens. It is disheartening to remember how 
a single sermon that offends a few influential fam- 
ilies may terminate a useful pastorate, or how a 
single untactful act or unwise utterance on the part 
of the pastor may destroy the usefulness of a good 
man in the ministry. On the other hand, it is to be 
confessed that many churches have shown great 
patience with the infirmities of their ministers. 

When it is apparent to a church that the time has 
come for a minister to resign, let the matter be 
taken to him kindly but plainly, and presented to 
him by those who love him. And let the church 
give him time to secure another pastorate, and in 
the meantime labor loyally with him. 

In like manner the minister should be loyal to his 
church. When the time comes for him to go else- 
where, he should time his removal and the notice of 
it so as least to injure the church, and should do all 
things to its edification. 



The Baptist Minister 57 

The legal value of ministerial reputation. All 
that has been said in the chapter on Church Mem- 
bership concerning the law of libel, applies with 
special force to the minister. In a peculiar sense 
his reputation is his means of livelihood. To dam- 
age a minister's reputation is not merely to hurt his 
feelings, but is to incur the gravest responsibility 
by reason of the financial damage which is in- 
volved. If he has been deposed from the ministry 
the churches have a right to know of it for their 
own protection ; but the publication must be without 
malice, and for a manifest need. 

A church, ordinarily, has no right to publish in a 
wholesale fashion its expulsion of a member. It 
may cause to be read from its own pulpit the vote 
of excommunication, but that vote should be care- 
fully drawn and free from reckless denunciation. 
Its withholding of a letter of commendation is usu- 
ally a discharge of its responsibility to other 
churches. 

The case is otherwise when a minister is deposed. 
While his right has additional claims for considera- 
tion, because of the legal value of his reputation, 
the responsibility of the deposing body to the 
churches is correspondingly greater. 

Among those who have in charge the official state- 
ment of the status of ministers of the various de- 
nominations it is the general agreement that the 
churches have a right to specific information in con- 
nection with any trial to which he may have been 



58 A Baptist Manual 

subject. When a council has deposed a minister 
it has the right to publish its findings. If this were 
not the case the deposition would be nugatory. A 
minister has a public function, and his deposition 
from the ministry is intended to be an official dis- 
continuance of his functions. 

Of course it is important that the greatest wis- 
dom shall be used. Direct statements rather than 
general charges ought to be made. It is fair that 
definite statements concerning the acts for which 
a minister is deposed shall be made; but it is scarcely 
fair, and it is possibly not legally safe, to give whole- 
sale general information as to his character. 

It is generally held also that a ministerial bureau 
has a right to keep a list of unworthy men. This 
is not a black list. It is official information which 
has been gathered under proper conditions. One 
superintendent of such a bureau states the general 
policy to be as follows : " Information of an un- 
favorable nature, if it must ever be given, is given 
only to those who have a clear official right to its 
possession. By - persons having a clear official 
right J we mean committees or authorized repre- 
sentatives of churches looking for pastors, secre- 
taries, or superintendents of home mission so- 
cieties, and (in some cases a little more doubtful) 
authorized representatives of ecclesiastical or min- 
isterial bodies, having in their keeping matters af- 
fecting ministerial standing/' 



CHAPTER VIII 
Ecclesiastical Councils 

AX ecclesiastical council is a body composed 
of representatives of a group of churches 
called together for the consideration of a 
specific matter set forth in a letter missive, which 
is the charter of the council. As a body destitute 
of ecclesiastical authority, but thoroughly repre- 
sentative of the judgment of neighboring churches, 
the council has been rightly held in high esteem 
in the denomination. It is likely to continue as 
an important medium for the expression of our 
fellowship. 

The right to call a council. A council may be 
called by: 

1. A local church. A local church may call a 
council to recognize a newly organized church, to 
ordain a minister, or to advise in any case of need. 

2. Two or more churches. Two or more churches 
may join in calling a council where they have a 
common interest in a proposed undertaking, as the 
organization of a new church lying between them. 

A mother church, having organized a mission or 
branch church into an independent church, may join 
with the latter in calling' a council of recognition. 

59 



6o A Baptist Manual 

A group of churches may call a council to deter- 
mine the wisdom of organizing an Association, or 
to determine a boundary between Associations, or 
for other suitable reasons. 

In cases where a group of churches having com- 
mon interests unite in calling a council, the in- 
viting churches may desire to send delegates and 
participate in the deliberations of the council which 
they call, and this is orderly if their intentions are 
stated in the letter missive. In cases where a 
mother church and a daughter church unite in the 
call of a council for the recognition of the latter, the 
mother church may be entitled to representation in 
the council if the letter missive so states, but in no 
case where two or more churches unite in calling 
a council may either of the inviting churches be 
represented in the council if the occasion for the 
call is any controversy between the inviting churches. 

3. A church and one or more of its members. In 
any case where a difference of opinion arises be- 
tween a church and its minister, or the church and 
one or more members, and the local church has 
found no satisfactory solution of the difficulty, the 
two parties may unite in the call of a council. 

A council called by two parties having different 
interests, which they agree to arbitrate before a 
council, is called a Mutual Council. The term is not 
applied where two parties are in agreement, as 
where two churches agree to organize a third church 
and unite in a letter missive. 



Ecclesiastical Councils 61 

4. A minister or other member or group of mem- 
bers. A council may be called by a minister or 
other member or group of members of a church in 
a case where serious injustice is alleged to have been 
done by the local church and the church refuses to 
make amends. Such a council is called an Ex- 
parte Council, but is never to be called excepting 
where a Mutual Council has been refused. 

The method of calling a council. A council is 
called by a letter missive sent to each invited church 
and individual, giving the name of the body inviting 
the council, the place and time of meeting, and sta- 
ting the precise business which is to be presented 
to the body. It must also give a full list of the 
churches and individuals who are to compose the 
council, and should be sent out a sufficient time in 
advance to give all the churches time for official 
action. 

The number of invited churches. At least all 
the churches in the Association should be invited to 
send delegates. It has sometimes happened that a 
council has been called consisting of only three or 
four churches. Such a body is not a genuine coun- 
cil. The unit of denominational organization is the 
Association. Churches should decline to participate 
in a council more narrowly composed. 

The advisory committee on councils. Councils, 
especially those called for ordination of a candi- 
date or recognition of a church, have often found 
their decisions rendered nugatory by arrangements 



62 A Baptist Manual 

for public services to follow immediately upon the 
meeting of the council. It is difficult to refuse 
ordination to a man when the services have been 
publicly announced, the ordination supper and re- 
ception prepared, and the relatives of the candidate 
invited from afar. The practice is just beginning 
to secure recognition that no such services should 
be arranged for in advance of the meeting of the 
council. The Chicago Association has gone a step 
farther in the appointment of an advisory com- 
mittee on councils, without whose advice it is un- 
derstood that no council shall be called. There is 
thus provided a preliminary examination by a group 
of able men of any question that may arise. A man 
who ought not to seek ordination is kindly advised, 
and is saved from the public humiliation of refusal 
by a council. A body of Baptists thinking of or- 
ganizing a church has a committee whose judgment 
they may seek before the matter has gone too far to 
retreat. This committee has proved so useful, and 
has been so utterly safe so far as genuine Baptist 
independence is concerned, that the plan is likely to 
be more generally adopted. 

The quorum of a council. A majority of all the 
invited churches is necessary to a quorum. A 
church is represented if it sends one delegate. The 
custom of counting a quorum on the basis of in- 
dividuals invited is indefensible. 

The organization of a council. It is customary 
for the church inviting the council either to appoint 



Ecclesiastical Councils 63 

one of its own members or to select one of the 
visiting pastors to call the council to order, to speak 
a word of welcome, and to say that the church has 
requested him to read the letter missive. 

It is the duty of the reader of the letter missive 
to call for the election of a temporary clerk and to 
determine whether a quorum is present. As this 
usually involves the calling of the roll, it is desirable 
that the roll be made up at this time. As soon as it 
is determined that a quorum is present, a permanent 
moderator is to be elected. This may be done by 
ballot, and must be so done if any member demands 
it, but a ballot need not be insisted upon if there is 
no desire for it. 

The moderator. The first duty of the permanent 
moderator is to lead the council in prayer, and while 
the moderator may call upon some other member to 
offer it, it is usual and desirable that he himself 
shall lead in this opening prayer. 

The next duty of the moderator is to call for 
the election of a permanent clerk. If the duties 
of the moderator or clerk are likely to be prolonged 
or arduous, the council may elect an assistant to 
either or both. 

The next duty of the moderator is to call for 
the records relating to the call of the council. These 
are to be submitted by the clerk of the church, or 
by some officer representing the body or bodies 
calling the council. They should show distinctly 
the business named in the letter missive and the 



64 A Baptist Manual 

authority to submit that business to the present 
council. 

The council being now assured of its own mem- 
bership and jurisdiction, the moderator will call for 
the particular business for which the council has 
convened, hearing from the inviting bodies through 
the records, documents, and personal statements, 
until the matter which the council is to determine 
is fully set before it. This should proceed in logical 
order, and the council may vote as each part of its 
investigation is completed, " that the papers and 
statements thus far be deemed satisfactory." Such 
a vote, however, does not determine the future ac- 
tion of the council. It is merely a vote to pro- 
ceed to the next point. The business of the coun- 
cil being fully before it, it is customary to vote that 
the examination be arrested at this point, and that 
the council go into executive session. 

It is not in good form for members of the 
council to assume to express the judgment of the 
council prior to this point, nor is it orderly that the 
roll be called for individual expression before the 
council is in executive session. The purpose of the 
public session of the council is to get all the facts 
before the body in the most prompt and orderly 
manner possible, that these may be considered in 
private by the members of the council. 

The moderator of the council can greatly facilitate 
the work of the body if he has this simple outline 
clearly in mind. 



Ecclesiastical Councils 65 

The clerk. It will greatly facilitate the work of 
the clerk if, in the preparation of writing materials 
for his use, a list of the churches and individuals 
invited be made out in advance on sheets of the 
same size as those to be used in the records, and 
with convenient spaces for the writing in of the 
names of pastors and delegates. Where this is done 
the clerk will have no difficulty in keeping his 
records complete. Where this has not been done he 
should be furnished an assistant, who will make up 
the roll while he enters the complete record of the 
business as it is transacted. 

There is an erroneous impression that it is a dif- 
ficult thing for a clerk to make his records complete 
as they are in progress. On the contrary, if he 
will insist that all extended motions be reduced to 
writing, and will procure at the outset a correct 
and legible roll, he will find no difficulty in present- 
ing his minutes in good form at the time when they 
are called for. The clerk should not be a member 
of any committee. 

The time for the reading and approval of the 
records is at the end of the executive session of 
the council. The records should be so complete 
that at this time they can be approved, the order of 
public service added, and only the business incident 
to the adjournment left to be recorded. 

The executive session of the council. When the 
council is in executive session a motion should be 
made bringing before it for action the business of 



66 A Baptist Manual 

the council. It is customary at this time to call the 
roll and to permit each member in voting to express 
briefly his reason for his vote. This is not a time 
for set speeches, but it is the opportunity of the 
members of the council freely to express their judg- 
ment of the matter which has brought them to- 
gether. 

The council having determined what it will do, 
it is customary to appoint a committee to formulate 
its finding. If it is a council of ordination, the duty 
of the committee will be to confer with the candi- 
date and representatives of the church and report 
an order for the public service. If it is to advise in 
a matter of difficulty, the duty of the committee 
will be to draft suitable resolutions in harmony with 
the vote that has just been passed. 

While this committee is out the council should 
listen to the reading of its minutes. The report of 
the committee, which may be expected by the time 
the records are read and approved, will complete 
the minutes to this point, and the council may take 
recess until the public service, if one is to follow, 
or may complete its work and dissolve. 

The dissolving of a council. A Baptist council 
does not commonly adjourn; it takes a recess from 
one session to another, and at the close of its busi- 
ness it dissolves. It is not orderly for a council to 
adjourn and wait to see whether its advice is fol- 
lowed, unless provision for such further proceeding 
is contained in the letter missive. A council in a 



Ecclesiastical Councils 67 

case, which publicly concluded its work, but secretly 
agreed that if its advice was not followed it would 
convene again and deal with the matter, was dis- 
orderly. 

The authority of a council. Strictly speaking, the 
council's finding has only so much authority as 
the reason of it. Yet the result of a council being 
accepted by the parties calling it, or agreeing before- 
hand to abide by it, has both ecclesiastical and legal 
value. The courts have more than once decided that 
in matters which a council is competent to deter- 
mine and which it has been agreed shall be sub- 
mitted to it, and which it has passed upon, its de- 
cisions will be accepted as to facts. 

In the case of a minister who did not wish to 
resign, and whose church was attempting to force 
him out without good reason, the decision of a 
Mutual Council that the action of the church was 
unjustified would be a legal justification on the 
pastor's part for claiming his salary. A minister 
has very little protection in the matter of the tenure 
of his office, and the decision of such a council, as 
has repeatedly been shown, would have great weight 
with the court. Indeed, if the council were con- 
ceded to be regular and acting within its jurisdic- 
tion, the court would claim no right to reverse the 
decision of the council, or to do otherwise than pro- 
tect the minister in the matter of his salary. 

As regards ecclesiastical authority, it is, of course, 
universally conceded that the council is only ad- 



68 A Baptist Manual 

visory. But our churches have come so to realize 
the great value of the decision of a Mutual Coun- 
cil that in practice its findings have the weight 
of a court of arbitration. 

Ex-parte councils. One class of councils, and 
that happily a class somewhat infrequent, requires 
a special note. 

The right to call an Ex-parte Council exists 
only when every other means of effecting a recon- 
ciliation or securing redress for a grievance has 
failed, and when a Mutual Council has been defi- 
nitely refused. 

An Ex-parte Council between a church and one 
of its members may only be called when the church 
has damaged the relations of the aggrieved mem- 
ber to other churches. If the injury complained 
of is a purely local one, whose results lie within the 
local church, a council cannot properly be called, 
and must refuse to act. Other churches can only 
be consulted where the relations of a member to 
other churches are concerned. Thus a member may 
not call an Ex-parte Council in a case where he has 
been privately censured by the church, but where 
his membership remains intact, but may call a coun- 
cil where a letter has been refused him and where 
he has been refused a hearing before a Mutual 
Council. 

There have been cases where a minority of a 
church has felt so strongly that the course of the 
majority was injurious, that it has called an Ex- 



Ecclesiastical Councils 69 

parte Council, and the council, composed of promi- 
nent men has consented to sit. Such a recourse 
should, however, be extremely rare. 

The same principle applies to a church calling an 
Ex-parte Council in case of an alleged grievance at 
the hands of an Association or Convention. The 
council can only act in cases where the damage 
is carried beyond the body alleged to have done 
the injury. 

An Ex-parte Council, as soon as organized, must 
offer its services as a Mutual Council, and its find- 
ings can have no weight whatever unless its records 
show that it exhausted every reasonable effort to 
induce both parties to join in the council. 

May a council increase its membership? The 
common answer is in the negative. Churches 
electing delegates to a council have a right to know 
with what other churches they are to join, but an 
exception must be made in cases where an Ex-parte 
Council is offering its services as a Mutual Council. 
If the other party is willing to accept the offer on 
condition that certain churches of its or his choosing 
be added to the council, and the other party will ac- 
cept these additional members, the Ex-parte Council, 
in resolving itself into a Mutual Council, is fully 
justified in making such additions to its member- 
ship as will enable it to secure the consent of all 
parties concerned. 

Individuals in a council. The custom is increas- 
ingly prevalent of inviting a considerable group of 



jo A Baptist Manual 

individual members in addition to the churches com- 
posing the council. This practice has been dis- 
couraged, yet it is a custom not wholly without rea- 
son. But the number of individuals ought not to 
be so large as in any wise to defeat the nature 
of the council as a body representative of the 
churches. If this principle is kept in mind no 
harm or abuse can follow the practice of inviting in- 
dividual members ; nor need it be insisted that these 
members be honorary members merely and not 
entitled to vote. But in case of a serious division 
of opinion in the council affecting the welfare of the 
churches themselves, the representatives of the 
churches would have the right to insist upon the 
obligation which rests upon them as such. 

Evidence. The question is often raised, what 
evidence a council may consider. What has been 
said regarding testimony at church trials is ap- 
plicable here. The council has no power such as 
a court possesses to summon witnesses and place 
them under oath. It must be permitted to gather its 
evidence from a considerably wider range than 
would be permissible in a court. " Common fame " 
must be recognized as having evidential value in a 
council. A notorious scandal with plain implications 
undenied cannot be disregarded for lack of abso- 
lute legal proof. The council must use the judg- 
ment of Christian charity, but it need not consider 
itself bound by such evidence only as courts would 
regard. 



Ecclesiastical Councils 71 

The question is also raised whether parties to 
a council may be represented by lawyers or by 
other special advocates. They have that right. A 
minister whose standing is in question may call to 
his assistance either a brother pastor or a legal 
adviser, and the other party at interest in the mat- 
ter may be similarly represented; but the question- 
ings and arguments of these advocates must be held 
to respect the differences between a church coun- 
cil and a court of law, and be in all respects 
amenable to ecclesiastical custom and to decorum 
touching such matters. 



CHAPTER IX 

The Association 

THE churches in association. Baptists churches, 
while self-governing and subject to no ec- 
clesiastical authority in their local affairs, are 
more than independent units. They meet unitedly 
in district, State, and national bodies. The de- 
velopment of these bodies, their approach to uni- 
formity of organization, and the increase in the 
measure of responsibility delegated to them by the 
churches, constitute one of the most significant facts 
in recent Baptist history. 

Baptist churches are grouped into local or dis- 
trict Associations, bodies which formerly existed 
solely for fellowship. Originally they were purely 
voluntary, but it is no longer accurate to describe 
them by this term. A Baptist church has full liberty 
to withhold itself from fellowship in an Association 
and to withdraw from the Association at its pleas- 
ure; but a church so outstanding or withdrawn, 
while Baptistic in government, would probably not 
be reported in the records of the denomination as 
a Baptist church. It, therefore, is no longer strictly 
accurate to speak of the Association as a voluntary 
body. 

72 



The Association 73 

Incorporation. A further step in the development 
of the power of the district Association is found 
in the fact that some Associations have obtained 
legal incorporation with the right to hold property 
in the name of the churches represented in them. 
This is an example likely to be followed quite gen- 
erally, and will give the churches through their 
local Associations direct control of local and city 
missionary operations and such other administrative 
work as the churches may care to undertake. 

The organization of the Association. Any group of 
churches may organize an Association. The territory 
represented in the Association should be contiguous 
and so bounded as to cover the entire district. A 
church situated on the boundary between two As- 
sociations may elect which one it will join, and 
may, on its own request, be dismissed from one 
Association to unite with another. Xo higher body 
has any right to define the bounds of Associations, 
or to declare what churches shall have membership 
in any Association. In general, all the churches of a 
common district should be represented in the same 
Association. There is no authority to compel this 
arrangement, however, and there have been fre- 
quent exceptions to the rule. In case the German, 
Scandinavian, or Xegro churches of a district de- 
sire organization in a body by themselves, they 
have the right to effect such an organization, even 
though its boundaries overlap those of Associa- 
tions of other churches. 



74 A Baptist Manual 

Relations of the Association. The Association, 
being composed of churches in near neighborhood, 
is naturally a first bond of fellowship and united 
effort. Shall the Associations be the constituent 
parts of the State Conventions, or must that body be 
composed of delegates direct from the churches? 
Emphasis upon local independency has resulted in 
the latter procedure. At the same time the reports 
of the churches are given by Associations in the 
State annual, and missionary work is carried on 
with definite reference to associational lines. As 
long as the State Convention is a body simply for 
denominational efficiency, and in no sense legislative 
or judicial, its composition of delegates from As- 
sociations could not be harmful. 

The Northern Baptist Convention deliberately 
struck out of its by-laws a provision for represen- 
tation from Associations, but retained that from 
State Conventions. This was a very significant ac- 
tion, and may lead to further modification in the 
membership of the Convention. 

The relation of the Association to City Mission 
Societies in districts where the city is almost co- 
terminous with the limits of the Association has 
not yet been satisfactorily worked out. There is 
possibility that the City Mission Society may be- 
come the effective body, the Association thus losing 
much of its significance. 



CHAPTER X 
The Metropolitan Executive Council 

THE great needs of evangelization in the larger 
cities of the country have called for organ- 
ization for the purpose of directing missionary 
work. City Mission Societies have thus existed for 
a long time in most of our large cities. In the more 
important metropolitan centers there are often as 
many missionary churches as are under the charge 
of a Western State Convention. These City Mis- 
sion Societies were formed purely for the practical 
conduct of missionary work. There was no thought 
of their being representative of the churches in any- 
thing but this practical sense. Indeed, such so- 
cieties are often merely a Board of directors. They 
are held to discharge their functions sufficiently if 
they have an effective control of the development 
of the Baptist mission churches in the city. 

The need of metropolitan organization. But our 
large metropolitan centers are coming to realize that 
the many denominational interests at stake are very 
important. The whole city needs to be studied. 
The progress and movement of self-supporting 
churches must be understood. The character and 
needs of foreign populations must be carefully con- 

75 



j6 A Baptist Manual 

sidered. The evangelization of a large city is, 
therefore, a very complicated undertaking. In ad- 
dition to that there are numerous philanthropic 
enterprises under the denominational name which 
ought to have some supervision of the churches. 
It has been customary for small bodies of enthu- 
siastic people to establish, whenever they thought 
it desirable, philanthropies to which they would at- 
tach the name of Baptist, and on the strength of 
that name appeal to the denomination for sup- 
port. Such philanthropies readily fall into three 
classes — the good, the bad, and the indifferent. 

It is clear that a City Mission Society as such 
would have nothing to do with these benevolent 
organizations or with the work of the denomina- 
tion as a whole. It has become, therefore, in- 
creasingly evident that there should be a delegated 
body with large powers of supervision and admin- 
istration. These powers could not in any wise be 
exercised over the churches. They would not in- 
clude the right to make expression on matters of 
doctrine, nor take action in cases of discipline. The 
independency of every church would be unimpaired. 
But the churches as a whole ought to be able to 
express themselves upon matters of general interest 
in the city, upon questions of denominational policy, 
and they ought to have a means of massing their 
forces for forward movement in all directions. 

The relation of the metropolitan organization to 
the Association. Shall this executive organization 



The Metropolitan Executive Council yy 

be the Association? The difficulty is that the As- 
sociation covers generally a larger territory than 
the city. Furthermore, the Association is tradition- 
ally so different a body from this needed metro- 
politan executive organization that there is a seri- 
ous question whether it can be, or ought to be, 
adapted to this new need. It is possible that it can 
be so. Just as the city of London has become a 
county with the same county government that ob- 
tains in the rest of the kingdom, so a large city 
might be an Association. It is more likely, how- 
ever, that the City Mission Society will develop 
its charter and its functions. This has perhaps been 
more definitely done in the city of Chicago than 
elsewhere in the country. The Baptist Executive 
Council of Chicago includes regularly appointed 
delegates from the churches in the Chicago Asso- 
ciation. It is, however, quite distinct from the 
Association. The by-laws of this organization may 
indicate the trend in our metropolitan Baptist polity. 

BY-LAWS of the BAPTIST EXECUTIVE 
COUNCIL ^CHICAGO 

Adopted September 25, 1908 

ARTICLE I 

The name of this organization shall be " Baptist Execu- 
tive Council of Chicago," and its principal place of busi- 
ness shall be in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and 
State of Illinois. 



yS A Baptist Manual 

ARTICLE II 

The objects for which the Council is formed are to 
organize, establish, maintain, promote, and preserve, and 
to aid in organizing, establishing, maintaining, promoting, 
and preserving Baptist churches and missions, and edu- 
cational, benevolent, and charitable institutions in the city 
of Chicago and vicinity; and to take, purchase, hold, and 
dispose of real and personal estate for religious, missionary, 
educational, benevolent, and charitable purposes. Provided 
that the Council shall have no power to levy assessments 
upon the churches represented therein, and shall have no 
power to control or interfere with, or have original or 
appellate jurisdiction of the government, discipline, or other 
spiritual or temporal affairs of any individual church 
represented in the Council, without the consent of such 
church by a majority vote of the members present at a 
special business meeting of such church regularly called 
for that purpose. 

ARTICLE III 

The members of this Council shall consist of the pas- 
tor of each of the Baptist churches now forming the 
Chicago Baptist Association, and of such other churches 
from time to time as may be approved by the Council, 
and in addition thereto, one lay member where the mem- 
bership of such church does not exceed two hundred 
(200), two members where the membership is more than 
two hundred (200), and less than five hundred (500), 
and one additional member for each additional five hun- 
dred (500) of membership or fraction thereof; and in ad- 
dition thereto one representative from each of the recog- 
nized Baptist institutions and organizations in the city of 
Chicago and vicinity. There shall also be elected at each 
annual meeting of the Council fifteen other, persons, who 
shall constitute members at large of this Council. The 



The Metropolitan Executive Council 79 

member or members from each church, except the mem- 
bers at large, shall be chosen by such church before the 
annual meeting of the Council and the names of all such 
duly certified to the Secretary of the Council before such 
annual meeting, and in case of failure on the part of any 
such church either to choose such member or members, 
or to certify the name or names of the same to the secre- 
tary of the Council before such annual meeting, the mem- 
ber or members from such church may be elected by a 
majority vote of the members of the Council at such 
annual meeting. The members of the Council shall serve 
one year and until their successors are duly elected and 
qualified, and all vacancies in the membership shall be 
filled by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. 

ARTICLE IV 

The general management of all the affairs of the Coun- 
cil shall be vested in the board of fifty (50) directors, all 
of whom shall be members of the Council and elected for 
one year by ballot and a majority vote. 

ARTICLE V 

The officers of this Council shall be a President, Vice- 
president, Secretary, and Treasurer, each of whom shall 
be elected from the Board of Directors by ballot by a 
majority vote at the first meeting of the Board of Directors 
after the annual meeting of the Council. They shall hold 
their office for the term of one year, or until their suc- 
cessors are duly elected and qualified. The Board shall 
also appoint its own attorney to take charge of all legal 
matters pertaining to the Council. 

ARTICLE VI 

The regular meeting of the Council shall be held on the 
last Friday in September of each year. Special meetings 



8o A Baptist Manual 

of the Council may be held at any time upon the call of the 
President, or three directors, or upon written request of ten 
members of the Council. Notice of the annual meeting of 
the Council, stating the date, place, and hour of meeting 
shall be duly mailed by the Secretary to the address of each 
member of the Council at least ten days before such annual 
meeting, and like notice of special meetings stating the 
business to be transacted shall be mailed at least three 
days before such special meetings. Notice for the annual 
meetings of the Council shall be accompanied by blank 
forms of proxy for the use of members not able to 
attend the meeting so called, and at any annual or special 
meeting of the Council any member may take part and 
vote either in person or by proxy. Thirty members shall 
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at 
any annual or special meeting of the Council. Regular 
meetings of the Council shall be held each month at such 
time and place as the Board of Directors shall from time 
to time determine. At all meetings of the Council the 
Council shall have all the powers and functions of the 
Board. 

ARTICLE VII 

The President shall preside at all meetings of the 
Council and Board of Directors; supervise the affairs 
of said Council, and execute all deeds, contracts, and other 
documents authorized by the Board of Directors; appoint 
all special committees, unless otherwise determined by the 
Board of Directors, and perform such other duties as 
the Board of Directors may from time to time direct. In 
the absence of the President or in case of his inability to 
act, the Vice-president shall perform the duties of the 
President. 

ARTICLE VIII 

The Secretary shall keep in a book to be prepared for 
the purpose a full and complete record of all meetings 



The Metropolitan Executive Council 81 

of the Council and Board of Directors, and give notice 
of all meetings of the Council and Board; he shall have 
the custody of all the books, papers, documents, and 
the seal of the Council; when directed and empowered so 
to do by the Board, he shall sign or attest all contracts, 
deeds, and documents, and attach the seal of the Coun- 
cil to such as may require it ; he shall keep a book in which 
shall be put down the name and address of each member 
of the Council, and shall perform such other duties as 
may be required of him by the Board of Directors. 

ARTICLE IX 

The Treasurer shall receive all the moneys of the Coun- 
cil, and immediately deposit the same in such bank as 
the Board of Directors shall from time to time designate, 
to the credit of the Council; he shall pay out moneys only 
upon vouchers signed by the President or Vice-president, 
and not otherwise than by check upon the bank where 
such voucher is for ten dollars ($10) or more; he shall 
keep a full and true account of all moneys of the Council 
received and paid out in a book belonging to said Coun- 
cil; he shall make a written itemized report to the Board 
of Directors at each regular meeting of the Board, and at 
its special meetings when requested so to do, of all moneys 
received and paid out, and shall make out and submit to 
the Council at its annual meeting each year a report of all 
receipts and disbursements during the year, which report 
shall be first examined and audited by an auditor to be 
appointed from time to time by the Board. The Treasurer 
may, in the discretion of the Board, be required to give 
bonds. 

ARTICLE X 

The Board of Directors shall hold its regular meetings 
upon the last Friday in each month, at such time and 



82 A Baptist Manual 

place as it may by resolution from time to time designate. 
Twenty members of the Board shall constitute a quorum 
for the transaction of business. Special meetings of the 
Board may be called at any time by the President or by 
three members of the Board. Notice of all meetings of the 
Board, stating date, place, and hour of meeting, shall be 
given by duly mailing such notice to the address of each 
director, or delivering the same to him in person at least 
two days before such meeting; provided, however, that 
when all the members of the Board are present at any 
special meeting, however called or whenever held, the ac- 
tion taken at such meeting shall be valid and binding. 

ARTICLE XI 

Whenever any church or other organization or corpora- 
tion shall duly convey its property to this Council in 
furtherance of the purposes for which the Council is in- 
corporated, such church or other organization or corpora- 
tion shall thereupon and thereby be entitled to elect an- 
nually so long as its property shall be under the control 
of the Council, two representatives to meet with the Board 
of Directors in an advisory capacity, and to take part in 
all deliberations of the Board, but without power to vote. 

ARTICLE XII 

The Board of Directors may appoint from its own mem- 
bers each year such standing committees as it shall deem 
best. 

ARTICLE XIII 

This Council shall have and use a common seal, con- 
taining in a circle the words, " Baptist Executive Coun- 
cil of Chicago — 1908 — Seal." Such seal is hereby adopted 
as its common seal, an impression of which is made in 
the margin hereof. 



The Metropolitan Executive Council 83 

ARTICLE XIV 

The order of business at all regular meetings of the 
Council shall be as follows : 

1. Prayer. 

2. Reading of minutes of previous meeting. 

3. Unfinished business. 

4. Reports of officers. 

5. Reports of committees. 

6. Xew business. 

7. Election of officers. 

8. Adjournment. 

ARTICLE XV 

These by-laws may be altered or amended at any regu- 
lar or special meeting of the Council by a majority vote 
of the members present. Provided at least three days' 
prior written notice, stating the date, place, and hour of 
meeting, and the proposed change or amendment shall be 
given by mailing such notice to each member of the 
Council. 



CHAPTER XI 
The State Convention 

OUR most significant metropolitan work is car- 
ried on in only a few great centers. The 
largest part of our mission work is that 
undertaken by the State Conventions. In the West 
this is carried on in co-operation with the Home 
Mission Society, but it is under the direction of the 
State Convention, and from the standpoint of our 
Baptist polity the State Convention is the significant 
body. Indeed, it may be said that the State Con- 
vention is one of the great significant organizations 
of the denomination. In its origin it is practically 
an extension of the Association. The Association 
was a voluntary gathering of messengers of the 
churches from a small district. The General Asso- 
ciation, as the State body was usually called, w r as a 
similar body on a scale of State extent. But the 
State Conventions have been growing in importance. 
Our denominational consciousness has developed 
in the State Conventions. The efficiency of these 
bodies has made possible the organization of the 
larger national body. 

? A delegated body. The State Conventions are 
generally composed of messengers or delegates from 

8 4 



The State Convention 85 

the churches and from contributing Associations. 
They also almost always include in their member- 
ship annual and life members constituted on the 
payment of a certain contribution. They are not, 
therefore, strictly delegated bodies. The question 
is under serious consideration in many of the State 
Conventions whether the definite denominational 
character of these important bodies should not re- 
quire a more strict limitation to the delegated mem- 
bership. It is too early to say what will be the out- 
come of this discussion. 

Representative of the denomination. The State 
Conventions have long ceased to be merely volun- 
tary missionary organizations for the assistance of 
w r eak churches. There are in every State important 
denominational institutions, educational and philan- 
thropic. These are generally organized by the 
voluntary efforts of individuals, but they take the 
denominational name, and appeal on the ground of 
loyalty for denominational support. The churches 
should have some supervision of such bodies. The 
natural agency for investigation and supervision is 
the State Convention. To a larger and larger ex- 
tent our State Conventions are assuming the right 
to speak for the denomination within the State. 
There has in no case been, and it may safely be said 
there never will be, any disposition to interfere 
in matters that belong to the individual churches 
as such. There has been, and to a larger extent will 
be, a willingness to meet the reasonable demand 

G 



86 A Baptist Manual 

of the churches that their delegates shall represent 
them effectively in speaking their mind upon im- 
portant matters of denominational, social, and polit- 
ical concern. 

Conservator of denominational interests. The 
State Convention thus becomes the conservator 
o'f denominational interests. It has long exer- 
cised that function toward many worthy educational 
interests. There are colleges and academies in 
many of our States which owe their present health- 
ful existence to the efforts of the State Convention. 
Our growing denominational consciousness will for- 
tify the Conventions in exercising this conserving 
influence over all institutions that are worthy of 
support, as also in discouraging those institutions 
which ought not to continue. 

Relation to the Northern Baptist Convention. 
The Southern Baptist Convention includes in its 
membership messengers from Associations, but not 
from Conventions. The Northern Baptist Conven- 
tion decided upon the opposite course. The trend 
in our polity is very clearly seen. The church, the 
Association, the State Convention, the national Con- 
vention are the grades through which we shall carry 
on our work. The church will always be absolutely 
independent. These other organizations will be ad- 
visory and executive, but their largest effectiveness 
requires that they should have this relation toward 
each other. We say this seems to be the trend. 
The relation, however, between the State Conven- 



The State Convention 87 

tions and the Northern Baptist Convention has not 
yet been worked out. Some of the ablest men in 
the State and national work are giving the matter 
their most serious attention. There is very much 
more involved than the mere question whether dele- 
gates shall be appointed by the one body to the 
other. The unification of denominational work with- 
in the State is the important matter. At present 
ic is possible for half a dozen missionary organiza- 
tions to be carrying on work within a given State, 
nobody having any right of supervision over the 
whole enterprise. 

The State superintendent of missions. An official 
who is coming to have increasing significance is 
the State superintendent of missions. Formerly 
he had simply in charge the supervision of the 
missionary churches. He is now coming into rela- 
tion with all denominational interests. As the 
State Convention is becoming representative of the 
churches in their larger concern with all denom- 
inational enterprises and institutions, the superin- 
tendent needs to be a man of statesmanship and of 
large executive power. He will not be a diocesan 
bishop, but he will be the executive of the State 
Board; and his good advice to the Board, to the 
missionary churches, and to denominational in- 
terests will always be his greatest value. 

The pastor-at-large. A new officer, first ap- 
pointed by the South Dakota State Convention, is 
the pastor-at-large. His work is not altogether un- 



88 A Baptist Manual 

like that of the district missionary, yet it is more 
distinctly pastoral. He becomes the acting pastor 
of the pastorless mission churches. The State Con- 
vention feels that it has a right to exercise this 
oversight, though, of course, it is always done with 
the consent of the churches. The small churches 
often lose in a few months all that was gained in 
years. They are also peculiarly liable to be vic- 
timized by unworthy ministers, whom they are un- 
able to detect. The pastor-at-large, taking charge 
immediately upon the removal of the pastor, secures 
the church from retrogression, and guides in the 
selection of a worthy man to take up the work. 



CHAPTER XII 
The Northern Baptist Convention 

THE three great Baptist Societies have been ac- 
customed for many years to hold their annual 
meetings at the same place and at the same 
general time. These gatherings, commonly called 
" The Anniversaries/' or " The May Meetings," af- 
forded a certain opportunity of denominational self- 
expression. Yet such expression was of necessity 
inadequate. A general resolution had to be pre- 
sented to the three different bodies before it could 
have any denominational status. The meetings were 
those of independent societies. There was no meet- 
ing of the Baptists as a body. 

The organization of the Convention. The South- 
ern churches had a far more effective organization 
in the Southern Baptist Convention. And a grow- 
ing feeling developed in the North for a somewhat 
similar organization. For several years joint com- 
mittees struggled with the problem, and there was 
wide discussion. Some felt afraid that the inde- 
pendency of the churches might be endangered. 
But the desire for effectiveness prevailed, and at 
Washington, D. C, in 1907, the " Northern Bap- 
tist Convention " was tentatively established. Com- 

89 



90 A Baptist Manual 

plete organization was finally effected at Chicago 
in 1910. 

There still remain some details of procedure to 
work out, but the denomination has now a definite 
organization, and has practical denominational con- 
trol of all its missionary and publication activities. 
The basis of representation is clearly unsatisfactory, 
and is only workable because so large a number of 
the churches do not send delegates. The Law Com- 
mittee reported upon this matter as follows: 

The proposed amendments to the by-laws of the Con- 
vention, offered at the last annual meeting and referred 
to the committee, have been duly considered and so far as 
they have been approved they are incorporated in the 
preceding by-laws. The by-laws relating to membership in 
the Convention are substantially the provisions in its con- 
stitution. They provide for a membership too large for 
any deliberative assembly. If one delegate from one-half 
of the Baptist churches authorized to send delegates should 
attend a meeting of the Convention, there would be a 
gathering of over five thousand. However inspiring such 
a gathering of Baptist men and women might be, it would 
not be practicable to make it a deliberative body, or one to 
which, because of its numbers, could be safely committed 
the discussion and settlement of the many serious ques- 
tions that it will be the duty of the Convention to decide. 
If the attendance at the meetings of the Convention shall 
increase so that it shall be much in excess of the numbers 
that have attended, the necessity will arise for an amend- 
ment of these by-laws which will change the units of 
representation. 

This will doubtless be worked out gradually as 
occasion shall require. 



The Northern Baptist Convention 91 

The Convention is so insistent that there shall be 
no violation of essential Baptist polity that, in pro- 
ceeding to incorporation, it reaffirmed the declara- 
tion made at Washington, D. C, in 1907, as follows: 

DECLARATION 

The Northern Baptist Convention declares its belief in 
the independence of the local church, and in the purely- 
advisory nature of all denominational organizations com- 
posed of representatives of churches. It believes also 
that in view of the growth of the Baptist denomination 
and its extension throughout our country there is need 
for an organization to serve the common interests of the 
entire denomination as State and district organizations 
serve their respective constituencies. 

The act of incorporation. Incorporation was ef- 
fected in the State of Xew York, June 8, 19 10, by a 
special act, which, very appropriately, was signed 
by Gov. Charles E. Hughes, who was the first presi- 
dent of the Convention. 

AN ACT TO INCORPORATE THE 

NORTHERN BAPTIST 

CONVENTION 

Section i. All persons who now are or who hereafter 
may become members of the organization called the North- 
ern Baptist Convention, formed in the city of Washington, 
in the District of Columbia, in the year 1907, are hereby 
constituted a body corporate with the name " Northern 
Baptist Convention," and under that name shall have per- 
petual succession, and shall have the right to purchase 



92 A Baptist Manual 

or to acquire by gift, devise, bequest, or otherwise, and to 
sell, convey, or otherwise dispose of any real or personal 
property. 

Section 2. The objects of the corporation shall be to 
give expression to the opinions of its constituency upon 
moral, religious, and denominational matters, and to pro- 
mote denominational unity and efficiency in efforts for 
the evangelization of the world. 

Section 3. The corporation at any time it shall determine 
so to do, may elect or appoint such officers and may adopt 
such by-laws or regulations in relation to its organiza- 
tion, to the management, disposition, and sale of its real 
or personal property, to the duties and powers of its 
officers, and to the management and conduct of its cor- 
porate business and affairs as it shall think proper, pro- 
vided such by-laws or regulations are not inconsistent with 
the laws of the United States or of this State. 

Section 4. Meetings of the corporation may be held at 
such time or times and at such place or places in the 
United States as the corporation may determine from 
time to time. 

Section 5. This act shall take effect immediately. 

BY-LAWS 

ARTICLE I 

MEMBERSHIP 

Section i. The Convention shall be composed of ac- 
credited delegates appointed as follows : 

(a) Any Baptist church in the United States may ap- 
point one delegate, and one additional delegate for every 
one hundred members. 

(b) Any Baptist State Convention may appoint ten 
delegates, and one additional delegate for every ten Dis- 
trict Associations included in it, above the first ten. 



The Northern Baptist Convention 93 

Section 2. Accredited officers and members of Boards 
of Managers of co-operating organizations shall be dele- 
gates ex officiis. 

The accredited officers and members of the Boards of 
Managers of the Women's Missionary Societies auxiliary 
to or co-operating with the American Baptist Home Mis- 
sion Society or the American Baptist Foreign Mission 
Society shall be delegates ex officiis. 

ARTICLE II 

OFFICERS 

Section i. The officers shall be a President, a First 
Vice-president, a Second Vice-president, a Corresponding 
Secretary, a Recording Secretary, and a Treasurer. 

Section 2. The President shall preside at all meetings of 
the Convention and of the Executive Committee, and shall 
exercise a general supervision over the affairs of the Con- 
vention. 

Section 3. In the case of the absence of the President or 
his inability to serve, his duties shall be performed by the 
Vice-president in attendance who is first in numerical order. 

Section 4. The Corresponding Secretary shall conduct 
the correspondence of the Convention, shall send notices to 
the members of the Executive Committee of the times and 
places of its meetings, shall inform the chairman of each 
committee of the names of its members and of the pur- 
pose for which it w r as appointed, and shall perform such 
duties as the Executive Committee may direct. 

Section 5. The Recording Secretary shall keep a record 
of the proceedings of the Convention in a book provided 
for that purpose. 

Section 6. The Treasurer shall receive all moneys be- 
longing to the Convention, keep an accurate account there- 
of, and of the sources from which they were derived, pay 
them out on the direction of the Convention or of the 



94 A Baptist Manual 

Executive Committee, and at each annual meeting make a 
written financial report. 

Section 7. Each officer shall serve from the close of the 
meeting of the Convention at which he is elected to the 
close of the next annual meeting, and until his successor 
is elected. 

Section 8. Any member of a Baptist church in the 
United States is eligible to any office or to serve on any 
committee, except where otherwise provided. 

ARTICLE III 

MEETINGS 

Section i. The Convention shall meet annually on the 
third Wednesday in May, unless for some special reason 
some other time shall be fixed by the Executive Com- 
mittee in conference with the Boards of Managers of the 
co-operating organizations. 

ARTICLE IV 

COMMITTEES 

Section i. (a) There shall be an Executive Committee 
composed of the officers and former Presidents of the 
Convention and thirty others, of whom at least fifteen 
shall be laymen. Of the thirty first elected, ten shall serve 
for three years, ten for two years, and ten for one year; 
and thereafter there shall be elected annually ten to serve 
for three years. Vacancies caused by death, resignation, or 
refusal to act of any of the thirty may be filled by the re- 
maining members of the Committee. 

(b) It shall be the duty of this Committee to make ar- 
rangements for the meetings of the Convention; to report 
to it annually in writing, and to care for its interests be- 
tween the meetings. 

(c) No appeals for money shall be made and no collec- 
tions shall be taken at the meetings of the Convention 
which have not been approved by the Executive Committee. 



The Northern Baptist Convention 95 

Section 2. (a) There shall be a Finance Committee of 
nine, a majority of whom shall be laymen. Of the nine 
persons first appointed, three shall serve for three years, 
three for two years, and three for one year ; and thereafter 
there shall be appointed annually three to serve for a term 
of three years. 

(b) It shall be the duty of this Committee to prepare 
and present to the Convention at each annual meeting a 
budget based on the budgets submitted by the Executive 
Committee and by the co-operating organizations. 

(c) In case of an emergency arising between the annual 
meetings of the Convention, the Committee, by the ma- 
jority vote of all its members, may approve the incurring 
of indebtedness by a co-operating organization. Should 
such approval be given, the Committee shall report its 
action with the reasons therefor to the Convention at its 
next annual meeting. 

Section 3. (a) There shall be an Apportionment Com- 
mittee appointed at each annual meeting. It shall be 
composed of a member of the Executive Committee and a 
representative of each of the other organizations, for the 
maintenance of whose work provision is directly made in 
the budget. 

(b) It shall be the duty of this Committee: 

1. To divide among the States represented in the Con- 
vention the respective amounts to be raised as specified 
in the budget approved by the Convention, and to com- 
municate to the Apportionment Committee of each State 
the amount apportioned to it; 

2. To appoint an Apportionment Committee for any State 
where no such Committee is appointed; 

3. To employ such agents and methods and to take 
such other action to carry the apportionment into effect 
as to it may seem wise; 

4. To report in writing at each annual meeting of the 
Convention ; 



96 A Baptist Manual 

5. To divide ratably among the beneficiaries of the 
budget the expenses incurred in the performance of the 
duties of the Committee. 

Section 4. There shall be a Committee on Reports, to 
serve from the adjournment of each annual meeting of 
the Convention until the adjournment of its next annual 
meeting. All reports of co-operating organizations shall be 
submitted to the Committee as early as practicable before 
the next meeting of the Convention, at which the Com- 
mittee shall present its report in writing. 

Section 5. There shall be a Committee on Enrolment 
consisting of five persons. To this Committee shall be pre- 
sented the credentials of delegates to the Convention, and 
the Committee shall prepare from these credentials and 
shall report to the Convention a roll of delegates. 

Section 6. There shall be a Committee on Order of 
Business, which shall report each day to the Convention 
a proposed order of business for the next day. 

Section 7. There shall be a Committee on Nominations 
of officers and for vacancies in the Executive Committee. 

Section 8. There shall be a Committee on Selection of 
a Place for the Next Annual Meeting, which shall report 
before the adjournment of the last session of the Con- 
vention at which the Committee is appointed. 

Section 9. The Committees on Enrolment, on Order of 
Business, on Nominations, and on Selection of a Place for 
the Next Annual Meeting shall be elected at the first 
session of each annual meeting. 

Section 10. The Committees on Order of Business, on 
Nominations, on Selection of a Place for the next Annual 
Meeting, and on Reports shall be composed of one of the 
delegates from each State, to be nominated by such dele- 
gates and elected by the Convention. A vacancy in any 
one of these committees shall be filled by the delegates 
from the unrepresented State. 



The Northern Baptist Convention 97 

Section ii. The President shall appoint all committees 
and shall fill any vacancy in any committee except when 
otherwise provided. 

Section 12. The word " State * means any State, Terri- 
tory, district, or dependency of the United States. 

ARTICLE V 

CO-OPERATING ORGANIZATIONS 

Section i. On its application and the approval of the 
Convention by a two-thirds vote, any general denomina- 
tional missionary, educational, or philanthropic organiza- 
tion, whose constituency resides in the States repre- 
sented in the Convention, may become a co-operating 
organization. 

Section 2. A co-operating organization must agree : 

(a) To insert in its by-laws a provision that all ac- 
credited delegates to each annual meeting of the Northern 
Baptist Convention shall be annual members of the organ- 
ization; 

(b) To regulate its expenditures in accordance with a 
budget to be annually approved by the Convention ; 

(c) To solicit funds only on the approval of the Con- 
vention, or on the approval of the Finance Committee, 
given between the annual meetings of the Convention as 
provided by Article IV, Section 2, Subdivision (c) ; 

(d) To incur no indebtedness without the previous ap- 
proval of the Convention, or of the Finance Committee, as 
provided by Article IV, Section 2, Subdivision (c) ; 

(e) To submit its books and accounts to the inspection 
of the Finance Committee; to prepare its budgets and to 
make its financial reports in such form as that Committee 
shall request. 

Section 3. The Convention, through its Executive and 
Finance Committees, will aid in raising funds needed to 
carry on the work of each co-operating organization. 



98 A Baptist Manual 

Section 4. Co-operation between the Convention and a 
co-operating organization shall be terminated on the expira- 
tion of a year after written notice of a desire to terminate 
co-operation shall have been given by one to the other. 

ARTICLE VI 

AMENDMENTS 

These by-laws may be amended at any annual meeting 
of the Convention, either on the recommendation of the 
Executive Committee, given at a previous session of the 
Convention at which such amendment is submitted, or 
after written notice of the proposed amendment, given at 
a previous annual meeting and signed by at least twenty- 
five delegates, representing not less than five States. 

The American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, 
the American Baptist Home Mission Society, the 
American Baptist Publication Society, and the Wo- 
man's American Baptist Home Mission Society have 
all adopted these by-laws, with slight modifications 
to suit their respective conditions, and have thus 
become co-operating societies of the Convention. 
The Women's Foreign Societies are auxiliary to the 
American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, and so 
naturally did not enter the co-operative relationship. 



CHAPTER XIII 
The Southern Baptist Convention 

THE Baptists of the Southern States organized 
at Augusta, Ga., in 1845, the Southern Bap- 
tist Convention. It has been from the beginning 
an effective organization for controlling the mis- 
sionary and publication activities of the denomina- 
tion in that section. The independence and equal 
rights of the churches have been most jealously 
guarded. The basis of membership differs mark- 
edly from that of the Northern Baptist Convention. 
There is no delegation from the churches, but in- 
dividuals become members on the basis of a money 
payment. There is one representative from each 
co-operating district Association, a plan which the 
Northern Convention distinctly refused to adopt. 
Nevertheless, the Southern Baptist Convention has 
always been a most vigorous and efficient expres- 
sion of the denomination in the Southern States. 

CONSTITUTION 

ARTICLE I 
This body shall be styled the " Southern Baptist Ccn- 

Venti ° n " ARTICLE II 

It shall be the design of the Convention to promote 
foreign and domestic missions; and other important objects 

99 



ioo A Baptist Manual 

connected with the Redeemer's kingdom, and to combine 
for this purpose such portions of the Baptist denomina- 
tion in the United States as may desire a general organiza- 
tion for Christian benevolence, which shall fully respect 
the independence and equal rights of the churches. 

ARTICLE III 
The Convention shall consist, (i) of brethren who con- 
tribute funds, or are delegated by Baptist bodies con- 
tributing funds for the regular work of the Convention, on 
the basis of one delegate for every two hundred and fifty 
dollars actually paid into the treasuries of the Boards 
during the fiscal year ending the thirtieth day of April 
next preceding the meeting of the Convention; (2) of 
one representative from each of the District Associa- 
tions which co-operate with this Convention, provided that 
such representative be formally elected at the annual meet- 
ing of his District Association, and his election certified 
to the Secretaries of the Convention, either in writing or 
by copy of the printed minutes. 

ARTICLE IV 

The officers of this Convention shall be a President, 
four Vice-presidents, a Treasurer, an Auditor, who shall, 
in event of the death or disability of the Treasurer, act as 
such officer, and two Secretaries, who shall be elected at 
each annual meeting, and hold their offices until a new 
election; and the officers of the Convention shall be, each 
by virtue of his office, members of the several Boards. 

ARTICLE V 
The Convention shall elect at each annual meeting as 
many Boards of Managers as, in its judgment, will be 
necessary for carrying out the benevolent objects it may 
determine to promote — all of which Boards may continue 
in office until a new election. Each Board shall consist 



The Southern Baptist Convention ioi 

of a President, Vice-president, Secretaries, Treasurer, 
Auditor, and fifteen other members, seven of whom, in- 
cluding one or more of the officers, shall form a quorum 
for the transaction of business; provided, that any of the 
Boards may have the same person to rill the two positions 
of Corresponding Secretary and Treasurer. To each 
Board shall be committed, during the recess of the Con- 
vention, the entire management of all the affairs relating 
to the objects with whose interests it shall be charged; all 
of which management shall be in strict accordance with 
the constitutional provisions adopted by this Convention, 
and such other instructions as may be given from time to 
time. Each Board shall have power to make such com- 
pensation to its Secretaries and Treasurer as it may think 
right, fill the vacancies occurring in its own bodies, and 
enact its own by-laws. 

ARTICLE VI 
The Treasurer of each Board shall faithfully account 
for all moneys received by him, keep a regular entry of all 
receipts and disbursements, and make report of them to the 
Convention whenever it shall be in session, and to his 
Board as often as required. He shall also, on entering 
upon the duties of his office, give competent security to the 
President of the Board for all the stocks and funds com- 
mitted to his care. His books shall be open at all times to 
the inspection of any member of the Convention and of its 
Board. No moneys shall be paid out of any of the 
treasuries of the Board but by an order from that Board 
from whose treasury the money is to be drawn, which 
order shall be signed by the presiding officer. 

ARTICLE VII 
The Corresponding Secretaries of the several Boards 
shall maintain intercourse by letter with such individuals 
or public bodies as the interest of their respective bodies 
H 



102 A Baptist Manual 

may require. Copies of all such communications, with 
their answers, if any, shall be kept by them on tile. 

ARTICLE VIII 
The Recording Secretaries of the several Boards shall 
keep a fair record of their proceedings, and of such other 
documents as may be committed to them for the purpose. 

ARTICLE IX 
All the officers, Boards, missionaries, and agents ap- 
pointed by the Convention, or by any of its Boards, shall 
be members of some regular church in union with the 
churches composing this Convention. 

ARTICLE X 

Missionaries appointed by any of the Boards of this 
Convention must, previous to their appointment, furnish 
evidence of genuine piety, fervent zeal in their Master's 
cause, and talents which fit them for the service for 
which they offer themselves. 

ARTICLE XI 
The bodies and individuals composing this Convention 
shall have the right to specify the object or objects to 
which their contributions shall be applied. But when no 
such specification is made, the Convention will make the 
appropriation at its own discretion. 

ARTICLE XII 
The Convention shall hold its meetings annually, but 
extra meetings may be called by the President, with the ap- 
probation of any of the Boards of Managers. A majority 
of the attending delegates shall not be necessary to make a 
quorum for the transaction of business. The President, or 
in the event of his death, any of the Vice-presidents, of 
the Convention, may, at the request of two of its Boards, 



The Southern Baptist Convention 103 

change the time and the place of meeting of this Conven- 
tion, when it may be deemed by him inexpedient to con- 
vene at the time or place appointed. 

ARTICLE XIII 
Any alterations which experience shall dictate may be 
made in these articles by a vote of two-thirds of the 
members present at any annual meeting of the Convention. 



THE BY-LAWS of the CONVENTION 

Impressed with the obligations resting on the Convention 
to endeavor more energetically and systematically to elicit, 
combine, and direct the energies of the whole denomina- 
tion in one sacred effort for the promulgation of the gos- 
pel, we adopt the following by-laws : 

1. That the Boards of the Convention be directed to 
form the closest possible connection with the State Boards, 
where such exist, in such a way as shall be mutually 
agreeable, and in other cases to secure such agency as 
each of the Boards may deem best, in both cases pro- 
viding for the necessary expenses incurred. 

2. That the Secretaries of the Boards of the Convention 
be instructed to secure frequent distribution of informa- 
tion relating to their work by means of newspapers, tracts, 
leaflets, and otherwise, as may be found expedient among 
the mass of the people. 

3. That the Committee on the Nomination of New 
Boards be instructed to nominate, as Vice-presidents of 
Boards, men known to be identified with the interests 
of the Convention, and of their own State Boards, and 
unless special reasons exist to the contrary, men who 
make efforts to attend the sessions of the Convention. 
These Vice-presidents shall be expected to co-operate with 
the Boards, both giving and receiving suggestions as to 



104 A Baptist Manual 

work to be done, and they also shall be expected to present 
at the next session of the Convention a brief report in 
writing of what they have been requested to do, and of the 
way in which they have complied with these requests, 
with any suggestions they may have to offer as to the 
conditions and needs of their respective fields. It shall 
be the duty of each Secretary in due time to furnish the 
Vice-presidents of his Board with suitable blanks for such 
reports, and to call their attention to this article, and to 
make any proper effort to secure the due preparation of 
these reports. In case any Vice-president appointed is 
unable or unwilling to comply with the requests herein 
mentioned, it shall be the duty of the Board, if possible, 
to find some person who can, and request him to do so; 
and, furthermore, the Vice-president for each State shall 
be desired, as speedily as possible, to prepare a roll of 
the Associations, churches, and Sunday-schools in that 
State, to be used for the distribution of information, and to 
ascertain as far as possible which of the churches and 
Sunday-schools are contributing to the funds of the Board 
and the annual amounts, and to make systematic effort 
each year to increase the number and amount of such 
contributions. 

4. The Boards shall report at each session of the Con- 
vention what special efforts they have been able to make 
toward carrying out the objects of these by-laws. 

5. Immediately after the reading of the reports of the 
Boards each year, a committee of five shall be appointed, 
to whom shall be referred so much of these reports as per- 
tains to the carrying out of the by-laws, and also the 
reports of the Vice-presidents. 

6. The President, Vice-presidents, and Secretaries of the 
Convention shall be elected by ballot; provided, however, 
that when there is only one nomination for the same office, 
the Secretary, if there be no objection, may be instructed to 
cast the ballot for the Convention. 



The Southern Baptist Convention 105 

7. Applause on the floor of the Convention is out of 
order, and it shall be the duty of the presiding officer 
to promptly suppress all such demonstration. 

8. Speeches advocating the claims of any brother 
nominated for an office of the Convention shall be limited 
to one speech of nomination, and one speech seconding 
the nomination; also, addresses and responses of welcome 
shall be limited to one address of not more than fifteen 
minutes in length, and one response of not more than 
ten minutes. 

9. These by-laws may be altered at any time by a 
majority vote, except on the last day of the Convention. 



CHAPTER XIV 

The General Convention of the Baptists of 
North America 

THERE is only one Baptist denomination in the 
United States. There are two Conventions, 
Northern and Southern. But this in no sense 
implies two denominations. The constitution of 
each of those Conventions permits membership from 
any part of the United States. The division is 
purely one of missionary administration. It had, 
of course, a historic origin, and continues for con- 
venience. But there has never been wanting a sense 
of solidarity. A minister leaving a church in the 
North to accept a pastorate in the South would no 
more be regarded as changing denominational rela- 
tions than if he went from the East to the West. 

Yet there has been no recognized organization in 
which the entire denomination was represented. 
The Baptist Young People's Union of America pre- 
pared the way for such an organization, and grow- 
ing sentiment in the North and South favored it. 

There were mutual approaches on the part of 

leaders in the two sections. The meeting of the 

two Conventions in 1905 in the neighboring cities 

of Kansas City, Mo., and St. Louis, Mo., afforded 

106 



The General Convention 107 

the opportunity for the united organization. There 
was, therefore, formed at St. Louis at the close of 
the two conventions the General Convention of the 
Baptists of North America. It is noteworthy that 
in the name of this organization North America is 
used rather than the United States. In truth, there 
is only one Baptist denomination on the entire conti- 
nent. The Canadian churches are not in any sense 
alien to us. The provisions of membership in the 
constitution clearly contemplate the inclusion of 
representatives from Canada and from any other 
country of North America. 

The Hon. E. W. Stephens, then the president of 
the Southern Baptist Convention, became the first 
president of the General Convention. An inspiring 
session was held, with fraternal speeches from 
Northern and Southern speakers. It was felt that a 
definite step forward had been taken in bringing the 
two sections together. 

The General Convention is not intended to be 
very much more than an expression of denomina- 
tional solidarity, but as such it fills a good place. It 
is likely that it will have an enlarging significance. 

CONSTITUTION 

ARTICLE I 

NAME AND TERRITORY 

The name of this organization shall be the General Con- 
vention of Baptists of North America. It shall include 
the continent of North America and its islands. 



108 A Baptist Manual 

ARTICLE II 

OBJECTS 

The objects of this Convention shall be to promote 
closer fellowship among American Baptists, their increased 
efficiency and spirituality and the evangelistic spirit in our 
churches; to consider subjects having a bearing upon the 
missionary, educational, and philanthropic enterprises of 
the denomination and upon the moral and spiritual welfare 
of society. 

ARTICLE III 

LIMITATIONS 

This Convention shall exercise no authority other than 
that which the weight of its opinions may carry, nor shall 
it interfere with the churches or with the missionary or 
educational agencies of the denomination. 

ARTICLE IV 

MEMBERSHIP 

This Convention shall be composed of representatives 
duly appointed as follows : 

Section i. Each church may appoint one representa- 
tive, and one additional representative for every one hun- 
dred members or fraction thereof above the first one hun- 
dred. 

Section 2. Each local or district Association may appoint 
two representatives, and one additional representative for 
every ten churches or fraction thereof above the first ten. 

Section 3. Each territorial, provincial, and State Con- 
vention (or general Association) may appoint ten represen- 
tatives, and one additional representative for every ten 
thousand members above the first fifty thousand. 

ARTICLE V 

OFFICERS 

Section i. The officers of this Convention shall be a 
President, three Vice-presidents, a Corresponding Secre- 



The General Convention 109 

tary, a Recording Secretary, an assistant Recording Secre- 
tary, and a Treasurer, who together with fifteen others 
shall constitute an Executive Committee, any member of 
a Baptist church in the territory of the Convention being 
eligible to office. 

Section 2. The officers shall serve from the close of the 
Convention during which they are elected to the close of 
the next Convention, or until their successors are elected. 

ARTICLE VI 

AMENDMENTS 

Amendments to this Constitution may be made at any 
regular session of the Convention, notice thereof having 
been given in writing by any five members at a previous 
session, or proposed by a two-thirds vote oi the Executive 
Committee of the General Convention. 



BY-LAWS 

1. The Convention shall meet in 1906, and thereafter 
every three years; the exact time and place to be deter- 
mined by the Executive Committee. Special meetings of 
the Convention may be called upon petition of two hundred 
members of Baptist churches, whose residences shall be 
in at least ten States or Provinces, and upon approval of 
the petition by the majority of the Executive Committee. 

2. No appeals for money shall be made nor collections 
be taken which have not been approved by the Executive 
Committee. 

3. On the first day of each triennial session of the Con- 
vention the Executive Committee shall report the enrol- 
ment of representatives present, and the President shall 
appoint a Nominating Committee, consisting of one from 
each State, Territory, and Province represented, and this 
Nominating Committee shall subsequently present the names 



no A Baptist Manual 

to be voted upon as officers of the Convention, and also 
the names of fifteen others, who shall, with the officers, 
constitute the Executive Committee. 

4. At a time to be determined by the Executive Com- 
mittee a collection for the expenses of the Convention 
shall be taken. 

5. The Executive Committee shall make arrangements 
for each meeting of the Convention and submit a report 
to the Convention, which report shall include the report of 
the Treasurer. 

6. These by-laws may be altered or amended at any meet- 
ing of the Convention, provided notice of the proposed 
alteration or amendment has been made in writing on the 
first day of the Convention, and signed by at least ten 
delegates. 



CHAPTER XV 
The Baptist World Alliance 

THE Baptists have been a scattered people. We 
have had no commanding bishops, who could 
be assembled by the summons of a Metro- 
politan from all the nation and from all the world. 
The splendid sense of unity presented by an ecu- 
menical council seemed to belong only to the 
churches governed by hierarchies. Our fathers 
were content to lose the advantage of such dignified 
manifestation to the world, secure in the value of 
their New Testament polity. 

But democracies have their imposing unity as well 
as oligarchies — more imposing in a sense because 
of their voluntary and representative character. At 
the beginning of the present century there began to 
be a general demand on both sides of the Atlantic 
that there should be a representative gathering of 
the Baptists of the world. The untiring efforts of a 
few leaders in England and America at last brought 
it to pass. The Baptist World Congress was held 
in London, July 11-19, 1905. The venerable Dr. 
Alexander McLaren presided at the Congress, and 
representatives from almost every part of the globe 
were present. As a result of the meeting there was 
formed the Baptist World Alliance. 

in 



U2 A Baptist Manual 

CONSTITUTION of the BAPTIST 
WORLD ALLIANCE 

PREAMBLE 

Whereas, in the providence of God, the time has come 
when it seems fitting more fully to manifest the essential 
oneness, in the Lord Jesus Christ as their God and Saviour, 
of the churches of the Baptist order and faith through- 
out the world and to promote the spirit of fellowship, 
service, and co-operation among them, while recognizing 
the independence of each particular church and not as- 
suming the functions of any existing organization, it is 
agreed to form a Baptist Alliance, extending over every 
part of the world. 

ARTICLE I 

DESIGNATION 

This Alliance shall be known as " The Baptist World 
Alliance." 

ARTICLE II 

MEMBERSHIP 

Any general Union, Convention, or Association of Bap- 
tist churches shall be eligible for membership in the Alli- 
ance. 

ARTICLE III 

OFFICERS 

The officers of the Alliance shall be a President, a Vice- 
president from each country represented in the Alliance, 
a Treasurer, a British Secretary, and an American Secre- 
tary. 

ARTICLE IV 

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 

The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, 
Treasurer, Secretaries, and twenty-one other members, all 



The Baptist World Alliance 113 

of whom, together with the officers, shall be elected at each 
general meeting of the Alliance, and enter upon office at 
the close of such meeting. 

Of the twenty-one elected members : Five shall be from 
Great Britain, seven shall be from the United States of 
America, two shall be from Canada, and the remaining 
seven shall be from the rest of the world. 

Five members shall constitute a quorum for a meeting 
of the Executive, but absent members shall have the 
right of voting by proxy, through any other member of the 
Executive who shall produce a written authorization. A 
majority of those voting in person or by proxy shall be 
sufficient for the transaction of business. Three months' 
notice shall be given to every member of the Executive of 
all business to be brought before the next meeting, which 
is other than routine business. The President shall ap- 
point at a general meeting of the Alliance a committee of 
nine members to submit the names of the officers and of 
the Executive Committee for the approval of the general 
meeting. 

ARTICLE V 

ADVISORY COMMITTEE 

At a date not later than one year preceding a general 
meeting of the Alliance, the Executive Committee shall have 
authority to appoint an Advisory Committee of not more 
than three hundred members of the Alliance, to confer 
with the Executive Committee on any matter pertaining 
to the objects of the Alliance. The Executive shall, how- 
ever, have power to appoint an Advisory Committee not 
exceeding three hundred members at such other times as 
it may consider necessary. 

ARTICLE VI 

POWERS OF THE EXECUTIVE 

The Executive Committee shall have the power of fill- 
ing up vacancies which may occur among the officers and 



114 A Baptist Manual 

the Executive when the assembly is not in session. It 
shall be the first business of the Executive Committee, after 
its appointment, and the forming of this Alliance, to frame 
the by-laws for the administration of business. 

ARTICLE VII 

GENERAL MEETING 

The Alliance shall meet in general assembly ordinarily 
once in five years, unless otherwise determined by the 
Executive Committee, the specific date and place to be de- 
termined by the Executive Committee, which shall have 
power to make all necessary arrangements therefor. 

ARTICLE VIII 

REPRESENTATION FOR GENERAL MEETING 

Each constituent body of the Alliance may appoint mes- 
sengers to the general meeting from its own resident mem- 
bers on a basis to be determined by the Executive Com- 
mittee. 

ARTICLE IX 

AMENDMENT 

No change shall be made in this Constitution except by 
a two-thirds majority at a general meeting of the Alliance 
after at least two days' notice of the proposed action, such 
vote not to be taken on the last day of the meeting. 



CHAPTER XVI 
The Church Universal 

BAPTISTS have always held that their polity 
and doctrine is essentially that of the New 
Testament. They have sometimes very log- 
ically taken the ground that only a religious body 
organized upon New Testament principles and pre- 
serving the New Testament ordinances in their 
primitive form could properly be regarded as a 
church. Consequently they have declined to give 
letters of regular dismission to their members seek- 
ing affiliation with other denominations, they have 
refused to receive such letters of dismission from 
other denominations, and they have felt unable to 
recognize the propriety of uniting in many union 
efforts. 

The relation of Baptists to other churches. It is 
becoming increasingly evident, however, that a thor- 
ough denominational loyalty is consistent with a 
very large interdenominational fraternity. To-day 
it is the practice of Baptist churches generally to 
regard all other evangelical bodies as churches of 
Jesus Christ. The church is understood to be the 
invisible body of all disciples of the Lord, while the 
churches are organized groups of such disciples. 

"5 



n6 A Baptist Manual 

Union efforts of many kinds are, therefore, freely 
undertaken. 

The Baptists have not been great advocates of 
church union. Believing in the value and New 
Testament character of their own principles, they 
have confidently expected them to be increasingly 
accepted. But they have not looked to a union 
of the whole church under their banner, nor have 
they desired to make compromises for the sake of 
organic unity. 

The Baptist position may be said to be that of a 
free acceptance of the denominational situation, 
with a complete willingness to co-operate in all 
interdenominational endeavor. This attitude is evi- 
dent in the long interdenominational comity in the 
work of foreign missions, and more recently in home 
and city missions. A noteworthy example also is in 
the acceptance of membership in the Federal Coun- 
cil of Churches of Christ in America. 

The Baptist delegation to the Federal Council in 
presenting its report to the Northern Baptist Con- 
vention at Portland, declared its hearty approval of 
the democratic organization of the Council, and 
added, " On this democratic basis the Baptist 
churches can heartily join in standing with the great 
Christian bodies of our country in matters of com- 
mon interest that concern Christians of every name 
and demand their united and concerted action, if 
the church is to lead effectively in the conquest of 
the world for Christ/' 



The Church Universal ny 

The Federal Council of Churches of Christ in 
America. This body is the most significant mani- 
festation of the church universal that our day af- 
fords. It is organized on a plan recommended by 
the Inter-Church Conference of 1905, under a con- 
stitution adopted at Philadelphia in 1908. The fol- 
lowing churches are represented at present, and 
others may be admitted by two-thirds vote : The 
Baptist churches of the United States, the Free 
Baptist General Conference, the National Baptist 
Convention (African), the Christians (the Christian 
Connection), the Congregational Churches, the Con- 
gregational Methodist Churches, the Disciples of 
Christ, the Evangelical Association, the Evangelical 
Synod of North America, the Friends, the Evan- 
gelical Lutheran Church, General Synod, the 
Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church (South), the Primitive Methodist 
Church, the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in 
America, the Methodist Protestant Church, the 
African Methodist Episcopal Church, the African 
Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the General Con- 
ference of the Mennonite Church of North Amer- 
ica, the Moravian Church, the Presbyterian Church 
in the United States of America, the Presbyterian 
Church in the United States, The Welsh Calvinistic 
Methodist or Presbyterian Church, the Reformed 
Presbyterian Church, the United Presbyterian 
Church, the Protestant Episcopal Church, the Re- 
formed Church in America, the Reformed Church 
1 



n8 A Baptist Manual 

of the United States of America, the Reformed 
Episcopal Church, the Seventh Day Baptist 
churches, the Swedish Lutheran Augustana Synod, 
the United Brethren in Christ, the United Evangel- 
ical Church. 

The officers of the Federal Council are a presi- 
dent, one vice-president from each denomination, 
a recording secretary, a corresponding secretary, a 
treasurer, and an executive. 

The management is in the hands of the Executive 
Committee, consisting of the above officers, and one 
representative from each denomination ; and in case 
of the larger denominations an additional repre- 
sentative for each five hundred thousand communi- 
cants or major fraction thereof. All ex-presidents 
are members of this committee. 

This Executive Committee has power to represent 
the Federal Council in the promotion of the fol- 
lowing objects: 

I. To express the fellowship and catholic unity of the 
Christian Church. 

II. To bring the Christian bodies of America into united 
service for Christ and the world. 

III. To encourage devotional fellowship and mutual 
counsel concerning the spiritual life and religious activities 
of the churches. 

IV. To secure a larger combined influence of the 
churches of Christ in all matters affecting the moral and 
social condition of the people, so as to promote the ap- 
plication of the law of Christ in every relation of human 
life. 



The Church Universal 119 

V. To assist in the organization of local branches of 
the Federal Council to promote its aims in their com- 
munities. 

This Federal Council shall have no authority over the 
constituent bodies adhering to it; but its province shall be 
limited to the expression of its counsel and the recommend- 
ing of a course of action in matters of common interest 
to the churches, local councils, and individual Christians. 

It has no authority to draw up a common creed or form 
of government or of worship, or in any way to limit the 
full autonomy of the Christian bodies adhering to it. 

The Federal Council does its work through com- 
mittees of not less than twenty-five members each. 
The following are provided for in the by-laws: 

1. A Committee on Foreign Missions, to which 
are referred all matters relating to the administra- 
tion of missions in the foreign field. 

2. A Committee on Home Missions, to which 
are referred all matters relating to the evangeliza- 
tion of our own country. 

3. A Committee on Literature and Education, to 
which are referred all matters concerning publica- 
tions, educational institutions and plans, and Sun- 
day-school work. 

4. A Committee on Finance, which prepares the 
budget for the Council and performs such other 
duties as may be assigned to it. 

5. A Committee on Social Service to co-operate 
with similar church organizations, in the study of 
social conditions, and to secure a more natural rela- 
tionship between working men and the church. 



120 A Baptist Manual 

6. A Committee on Family Life, to which are re- 
ferred all matters relating to marriage and divorce 
and the development of family life. 

7. A Committee on Sunday Observance, to which 
are referred all matters relating to a better observ- 
ance of the Lord's Day. 

8. A Committee on Temperance, to which are re- 
ferred all matters relating to the suppression of the 
drink traffic. 

Members of these committees, not elected mem- 
bers of the Executive Committee, become corre- 
sponding members of the Executive Committee, and 
enjoy all of the privileges of that committee, except 
that of voting. 

The Federal Council meets once in four years, 
beginning with 1908, on the first Wednesday in 
December, at eight p. m. Members of this Council 
are appointed as follows: 

Each of the Christian bodies adhering to this 
Federal Council shall be entitled to four members, 
and shall be further entitled to one member for 
every fifty thousand of its communicants or major 
fraction thereof. 

Under this rule the Northern Baptist delegation 
has been twenty-four. The delegation is divided as 
nearly as may be between clerical and lay delegates, 
and is appointed by the Northern Baptist Conven- 
tion. 

In meetings of the Council voting is by general 
vote unless otherwise demanded. 



The Church Universal 121 

But in case one-third of the members present and voting 
request it, the vote shall be by the bodies represented, the 
members of each body voting separately; and action shall 
require the vote, not only of a majority of the members 
voting, but also of the bodies represented. 

It is the plan of the Federal Council that there 
shall be State Federations upon the same general 
plan ; and some progress has been made in this direc- 
tion. 



Part II 



A Compendium of Forms 

For the Use of Churches 
and Councils 



BAPTIST STATEMENTS ^/DOCTRINE 

BAPTISTS have no authoritative creed. It is 
within the competence of any church to make 
its own statement of doctrine or to organize 
without a definite statement of doctrine at all. It 
has been usual, however, to express the common 
agreement of the churches by the adoption of some 
widely accepted creed. At the same time it has 
always been understood that such a creed was open 
to revision at any time. Two statements have had 
the widest circulation among us. The Philadel- 
phia Confession, adopted by the Philadelphia Asso- 
ciation in 1742, was practically the old creed of the 
English Baptists. The New Hampshire " Declara- 
tion of Faith " was adopted by the Xew T Hampshire 
Baptist State Convention in 1833, and has been 
most generally adopted by the churches. 

THE NEW HAMPSHIRE ARTICLES OF FAITH 

1. The Scriptures 

We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men 
divinely inspired, and is a perfect treasure of heavenly 
instruction ; that it has God for its author, salvation for 
its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its 
matter ; that it reveals the principles by which God will 
judge us; and therefore is, and shall remain to the end 

125 



126 A Baptist Manual 

of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the 
supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and 
opinions should be tried. 

2. The True God 

We believe the Scriptures teach that there is one, and 
only one, living and true God, an infinite, intelligent Spirit, 
whose name is Jehovah, the Maker and Supreme Ruler 
of heaven and earth; inexpressibly glorious in holiness, 
and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love; 
that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons— 
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; equal in every 
divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious 
offices in the great work of redemption. 

3. The Fall of Man 

We believe the Scriptures teach that man was created 
in holiness, under the law of his Maker; but by volun- 
tary transgression he fell from that holy and happy state; 
in consequence of which all mankind are now sinners, not 
by constraint, but choice; being by nature utterly void of 
that holiness required by the law of God, positively in- 
clined to evil; and therefore under just condemnation 
to eternal ruin, without defense or excuse. 

4. God's Purpose of Grace 

We believe the Scriptures teach that election is the 
eternal purpose of God, according to which he graciously 
regenerates, sanctifies, and saves sinners; that being per- 
fectly consistent with the free agency of man, it com- 
prehends all the means in connection with the end; that 
it is a most glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, 
being infinitely free, wise, holy, and unchangeable; that it 
utterly excludes boasting, and promotes humility, love, 
prayer, praise, trust in God, and active imitation of his 



Statements of Doctrine 127 

free mercy: that it encourages the use of means in the 
highest degree; that it may be ascertained by its effects 
in all who truly believe the gospel ; that it is the founda- 
tion of Christian assurance; and that to ascertain it with 
regard to ourselves demands and deserves the utmost 
diligence. 

5. The Way of Salvation 

We believe the Scriptures teach that the salvation of 
sinners is wholly of grace, through the mediatorial offices 
of the Son of God; who, according to the will of the 
Father, assumed our nature, yet without sin; honored the 
divine law by his personal obedience, and by his death 
made a full atonement for our sins; that having risen 
from the dead, he is now enthroned in heaven; and uniting 
in his wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with 
divine perfections, he is every way qualified to be a 
suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Saviour. 

6. Of Regeneration 

We believe the Scriptures teach that regeneration, or the 
new birth, is that change wrought in the soul by the Holy 
Spirit, by which a new nature and a spiritual life, not be- 
fore possessed, are imparted, and the person becomes 
a new creation in Christ Jesus; a holy disposition is given 
to the mind, the will subdued, the dominion of sin broken, 
and the affections changed from a love of sin and self 
to a love of holiness and God; the change is instantaneous, 
effected solely by the power of God, in a manner incom- 
prehensible to reason; the evidence of it is found in a 
changed disposition of mind, the fruits of righteousness, 
and a newness of life. And without it salvation is im- 
possible. 

7. Of Justification 

We believe the Scriptures teach that the great gospel 
blessing which Christ secures to such as believe in him is 



128 A Baptist Manual 

justification; that justification includes the pardon of sin, 
and the promise of eternal life on principles of righteous- 
ness ; that it is bestowed, not in consideration of any works 
of righteousness which we have done, but solely through 
faith in the Redeemer's blood; by virtue of which faith 
his perfect righteousness is freely imputed to us of God; 
that it brings us into a state of most blessed peace and 
favor with God, and secures every other blessing needful 
for time and eternity. 

8. The Perseverance of Saints 

We believe the Scriptures teach that such as are truly 
regenerate, being born of the Spirit, will not utterly fall 
away and finally perish, but will endure unto the end; that 
their persevering attachment to Christ is the grand mark 
which distinguishes them from superficial professors; that 
a special providence watches over their welfare; and they 
are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. 

9. The Law and the Gospel 

We believe the Scriptures teach that the law of God 
is the eternal and unchangeable rule of his moral govern- 
ment; that it is holy, just, and good; and that the in- 
ability which the Scriptures ascribe to fallen men to fulfil 
its precepts arises entirely from their sinful nature; to de- 
liver them from which, and to restore them through a 
Mediator to unfeigned obedience to the holy law, is one 
great end of the gospel, and of the means of grace con- 
nected with the establishment of the visible church. 

10. A Gospel Church 
We believe the Scriptures teach that a visible church of 
Christ is a congregation of baptized believers, associated 
by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the gospel; ob- 
serving the ordinances of Christ; governed by his laws; 
and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in 



Statements of Doctrine 129 

them by his word; that its only scriptural officers are 
bishops or pastors, and deacons, whose qualifications, 
claims, and duties are defined in the Epistles to Timothy 
and Titus. 

11. Christian Baptism 

We believe the Scriptures teach that Christian baptism 
is the immersion in water of a believer in Christ, into the 
name of the Father, and Son, and Holy Ghost; to show 
forth, in a solemn and beautiful emblem, our faith in the 
crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, with its effect, in our 
death to sin and resurrection to a new life; that it is pre- 
requisite to the privileges of a church relation and to the 
Lord's Supper. 

12. The Lord's Supper 

We believe the Scriptures teach that the Lord's Supper 
is a provision of bread and wine, as symbols of Christ's 
body and blood, partaken of by the members of the church, 
in commemoration of the suffering and death of their 
Lord; showing their faith and participation in the merits 
of his sacrifice, and their hope of eternal life through his 
resurrection from the dead; its observance to be pre- 
ceded by faithful self-examination. 

13. The Christian Sabbath 

We believe the Scriptures teach that the first day of the 
week is the Lord's Day, and is to be kept sacred to re- 
ligious purposes by abstaining from all secular labor, 
except works of mercy and necessity, by the devout ob- 
servance of all the means of grace, both private and public, 
and by preparation for that rest that remaineth for the 
people of God. 

14. Civil Government 

We believe the Scriptures teach that civil government 
is of divine appointment, for the interest and good order 



130 A Baptist Manual 

of human society, and that magistrates are to be prayed 
for, conscientiously honored and obeyed, except only in 
things opposed to the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
who is the only Lord of the conscience and the Prince 
of the kings of the earth. But that civil rulers have no 
rights of control over, or of interference with, religious 
matters. 

15. Righteous and Wicked 

We believe the Scriptures teach that there is a radical 
and essential difference between the righteous and the 
wicked; that such only as through faith are justified in the 
name of the Lord Jesus, and sanctified by the Spirit of 
our God, are truly righteous in his esteem; while all such 
as continue in impenitence and unbelief are, in his sight, 
wicked and under the curse; and this distinction holds 
among men both in this life and after death. 

16. The World to Come 
We believe the Scriptures teach that the end of the 
world is approaching; that at the last day Christ will 
descend from heaven and raise the dead from the grave 
for final retribution; that a solemn separation will then 
take place; that the wicked will be adjudged to endless 
sorrow, and the righteous to endless joy; and this judg- 
ment will fix forever the final state of men in heaven or 
hell on principles of righteousness. 

This Confession was largely the work of Dr. J. 
Newton Brown, who subsequently enlarged it by the 
addition of articles on repentance and faith and 
sanctification. It was further modified and enlarged 
by Doctor Hiscox in the " New Directory for Bap- 
tist Churches. " It will eyer remain as a significant 
monument in our history. 1 

l A covenant was also adopted. It has in the course of years been 
slightly modified. The form as now generally used is given on page 133. 



Statements of Doctrine 131 

A Confession of Faith in Scriptural Language 

There is a growing feeling among us that a Con- 
fession of Faith ought to be in scriptural rather than 
in theological language. The passages of Scripture 
employed in connection with the various articles in 
the New Hampshire Declaration might well, with 
some modification, be arranged into such a Confes- 
sion. 

I. We believe in one God, revealed to us as the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

II. We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and 
New Testaments were given by inspiration of God and 
are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, 
for instruction in righteousness. 

III. We believe that man was made in the image of 
God, but that all have sinned and come short of the glory 
of God. 

IV. We believe that God willeth not the death of the 
sinner, but rather that he should turn from his wicked- 
ness and live; and that Jesus Christ came that we might 
have life, and that we might have it abundantly. 

V. We believe that if we confess our sins he is faithful 
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from 
all unrighteousness. 

VI. We believe that by grace we are saved through 
faith in Jesus Christ. 

VII. We believe that the Spirit himself beareth witness 
with our spirit, that we are the children of God. 

VIII. We believe that we must work out our own salva- 
tion with fear and trembling, for it is God that worketh 
in us to will and to do of his good pleasure. 

IX. We believe that we should love the Lord our 
God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with 



132 A Baptist Manual 

all our mind, and with all our strength, and our neighbors 
as ourselves. 

X. We believe that they who received the word at the 
first were immersed, and that the members of Christ's 
church should be buried with him by immersion into death ; 
that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory 
of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness 
of life. 

XL We believe that the Lord Jesus in the night in 
which he was betrayed took bread and the cup and gave 
to his disciples; and that as often as we eat the bread and 
drink the cup we proclaim the Lord's death until he come. 

XII. We believe that we should make disciples of all 
the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father 
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them 
to observe all things whatsoever Jesus commanded us. 

XIII. We believe that righteousness shall cover the 
earth as the waters cover the sea; that in the name of 
Jesus every knee shall bow, and that every tongue shall 
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the 
Father. 

XIV. We believe that the last enemy that shall be de- 
stroyed is death, and that the dead shall hear the voice 
of the Son of God and shall come forth; they that have 
done good unto the resurrection of life ; and they that 
have done evil unto the resurrection of judgment. 



THE CONSTITUTION of a CHURCH 



I. Name 

This church shall be called the . 

Baptist Church of 



II. Covenant 1 
Having been led, as we believe, by the Spirit of God, 
to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, and on 
the profession of our faith, having been baptized in the 
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost, we do now in the presence of God, angels, and this 
assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant 
with one another as one body in Christ. We engage, there- 
fore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit to walk together in 
Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this 
church, in knowledge, holiness, and comfort; to promote 
its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, 
ordinances, discipline, and doctrines; to contribute cheer- 
fully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the ex- 
penses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the 
spread of the gospel through all nations. We also engage 
to maintain family and secret devotion; to educate re- 
ligiously our children; to seek the salvation of our kindred 
and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world; to 
be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and 
exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, back- 
biting, and excessive anger; to abstain from the sale and 

1 The covenant may be adopted as part of the constitution or as a 
separate instrument. This form is that most widely used. It has been 
modified somewhat from the New Hampshire form. 

K 133 



134 A Baptist Manual 

use of intoxicating drink as a beverage, and to be zealous 
in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Saviour. 
We further engage to watch over one another in brotherly 
love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other 
in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy 
in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take, 
offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful 
of the rules of our Saviour, to secure it without delay. 
We moreover engage that, when we remove from this 
place, we will as soon as possible unite with some other 
church where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant 
and the principles of God's word. 

III. Character 

Section i. Polity. Its government is vested in the 
body of believers who compose it. It is subject to the 
control of no other ecclesiastical body, but it recognizes 
and sustains the obligations of mutual counsel and co- 
operation which are common among Baptist churches. 

Section 2. Doctrine. It receives the Scriptures as its 
authority in matters of faith and practice. Its under- 
standing of Christian truth as contained therein is in 
essential accord with the belief of the Baptist churches. 

IV. Membership 

Section i. Qualifications. Its membership consists of 
such persons as confess Jesus Christ to be their Saviour 
and Lord, and who, (1) after due examination by the 
church as to their Christian experience, and, if coming 
from other churches, as to their letters of dismission 
and recommendations or satisfactory substitutes therefor, 
(2) have been accepted by vote of the church and, having 
been baptized, (3) enter into its covenant. 

Section 2. Duties. Members are expected, first of all, 
to be faithful in all the spiritual duties essential to the 
Christian life; and also to attend habitually the services 



Constitution of a Church 135 

of this church, to give regularly for its support and its 
charities, and to share in its organized work. 

Section 3. Rights. Such members as are in full and 
regular standing, and do not hold letters of dismission and 
recommendation, and have attained the age of twenty-one 
years, and such only, may act and vote in the transactions 
of the church. 

Section 4. Termination. The continuance of member- 
ship shall be subject to the principles and usages of the 
Baptist churches, and especially as follows : 

(1) Any member in good and regular standing who 
desires a letter of dismission and recommendation to any 
other Baptist church is entitled to receive it upon his 
written request. In case of removal to another community 
he should promptly make such request. This letter shall 
be valid as a recommendation for only one year from its 
date, unless renewed, and this restriction shall be stated 
in the letter. 

(2) If a member desires to join a religious body with 
which this church is not in fellowship, the church may, 
at his request, give him a certificate of his good standing 
and terminate his membership. 

(3) If a member in good standing requests to be re- 
leased from his covenant obligations to this church for 
reasons which the church may finally deem satisfactory, 
after it shall have patiently and kindly endeavored to secure 
his continuance in its fellowship, such request may be 
granted and his membership terminated. 

(4) The church may also, after due notice and hear- 
ing and kindly effort to make such action unnecessary, 
terminate the membership of persons for the space of two 
years non-resident, or for the same space of time not 
habitually worshiping with the church, or for the same 
space of time not contributing to its support according to 
the system prescribed by the church or in some way satis- 
factory thereto. 



136 A Baptist Manual 

(5) Should a member become an offense to the church 
and to its good name by reason of immoral or unchris- 
tian conduct, or by persistent breach of his covenant 
vows, the church may terminate his membership, but 
only after due notice and hearing, and after faithful 
efforts have been made to bring such member to repentance 
and amendment. 

(6) The membership of no person shall be terminated 
(except by letter) at the meeting when the recommendation 
for such action is made. 

(7) All requests for termination of membership or ac- 
tion looking thereto shall first be considered by the deacons, 
who shall make recommendations to the church. 

Section 5. Restoration. Any person whose member- 
ship has been terminated may be restored by vote of the 
church, if for any offense, upon evidence of his repentance 
and reformation, or, if on account of continued absence, 
upon satisfactory explanation. 

V. Officers and Committees 

Section i. The officers and committees shall be as 
follows : 

(1) A Pastor, to be chosen and called by the church 
whenever a vacancy occurs. His election shall take place 
at a meeting called for that purpose, of which at least 
one week's public notice shall have been given. The 
election shall be by ballot, an affirmative vote of three- 
fourths of those present being necessary to a choice. 

(2) A Clerk, to be chosen at each annual meeting, to 
serve for one year or until another shall be chosen and 
qualified. 

(3) iS5» Deacons, two of whom shall be elected at each 
annual meeting to serve for three years. 1 

1 In organizing a church the deacons should be elected to serve for one, 
two, three, or more years, respectively, according to the number of deacons. 
This section may be suitably altered to meet the preference ot any church 



Constitution of a Church 137 

(4) A Treasurer, to be chosen at each annual meeting 
to serve for one year or until another shall be chosen 
in his stead. 

(5) A Superintendent of the Sunday-school, to be 
chosen at each annual meeting. 1 

(6) A Finance C©mmittee, which shall consist of the 
Treasurer of the church (ex officio) and not to exceed 
four other persons to be nominated by the advisory com- 
mittee, one of whom shall be a deacon and one a trustee. 
The names of this committee shall be submitted to the 
church for approval within two weeks after the annual 
meeting. If not approved, other names may be submitted 
at any subsequent meeting. 

This committee shall devise and put into operation ways 
and means for raising the necessary funds for the support 
of the church. It shall also supervise the disbursement of 
the funds as appropriated by the church, and shall make 
such reports to the advisory committee and to the church 
as may be requested by either or both of them. 

(7) A Board of Trustees, one-third of whom shall 

be elected at each annual meeting to serve for three years, 
and until their successors shall be appointed, to hold in 
trust the property of the church. 2 They shall have the 
actual care of the place of worship, but shall have no 
power to buy, sell, mortgage, lease, or transfer, any pro- 
perty without a specific vote of the church authorizing such 
action. 

in regard to term of office. The fraction of a year up to the next annual 
meeting should be regarded as a full year. In accordance with the practice 
of some churches, the following may be added by special vote if the church 
so desires: "No person shall be eligible to reelection as deacon, after serv- 
ing a full term as such, until after an interval of one year." In the case 
of small churches a less number than six deacons may be chosen. Larger 
churches often nave many more. Election for a term of years is of course 
optional. Many churches will continue to prefer to elect for life. 

1 If, as in many cases is the custom, the school chooses its own superin- 
tendent, the church should ratify the ehoice in order to make it valid. 

2 As to the election of these officers the church should carefully consider 
the laws of the State in which it is situated. 



138 A Baptist Manual 

(8) All officers and committees named in the above 
sections shall be elected by ballot, and all elections, except 
that of Pastor, shall be determined by a majority of the 
votes cast by the members present who are qualified to vote. 

(9) The Advisory Committee. The designated officers 
of the church, together with the Finance Committee, two 
representatives nominated by the women's organization 
and one representative nominated by the young people's 
society shall constitute an Advisory Committee, of which 
seven shall constitute a quorum. 

It shall be the duty of this committee to submit to the 
church recommendations on such matters as may be re- 
ferred to it by the church. It may also make recommenda- 
tions to the church of its own motion, provided, however, 
that action on any recommendation on a subject not re- 
ferred to it shall be postponed to a later meeting on the 
request of any member, sustained by a vote of one-fourth 
of the members present. Any new business presented to 
the church shall be referred to the Advisory Committee if 
requested by any member of the church sustained by one- 
fourth of the members present. This committee may have 
general charge of the church music, and also act as a pulpit 
committee in recommending a new Pastor when necessary. 

Meetings of the committee may be called at any time 
by the Pastor, Treasurer, chairman of the Board of 
Trustees, or any three members, provided that public 
notice of such meeting be given, or one day's personal 
notice to each member of the committee in the city. 

(10) The Nominating Committee. A Nominating Com- 
mittee, consisting of six persons, shall be appointed at the 
last weekly prayer meeting in , or as soon there- 
after as practicable. This committee shall be chosen by 
ballot without previous nomination — the six names receiv- 
ing the highest number of votes to be declared elected. 
On the Sunday succeeding the appointment of this com- 
mittee, a Nominating Committee, consisting of three per- 



Constitution of a Church 139 

sons, shall be chosen in the same way by the officers and 
teachers of the Sunday-school, to act in conjunction with 
the Nominating Committee of the church in reporting 
nominees for officers of the Sunday-school. No person 
eligible for reelection shall be a member of the Nominating 
Committee. This committee shall adopt such methods as 
may to it seem proper to obtain from the different members 
of this church a general expression as to their preferences 
for persons to fill the various offices, such expression 
being intended to aid the committee in making its report. 

At the weekly prayer meeting in the second week before 

the annual meeting in , the Nominating Committee of 

the church shall report one nomination for each of the 
offices, the terms of which are expiring, or in which 
for any reason a vacancy exists, except that the nomina- 
tions for the offices in the Sunday-school shall be reported 
by the joint action of the Nominating Committee of the 
church and school. One week later other nominations 
may be made. The Clerk shall then print the nominations 
and distribute them to the church. 

In case any person nominated by the committee shall 
refuse to serve, the matter shall be referred to the Nomina- 
ting Committee for further action and report. One week 
after its report other nominations may be made, and the 
election shall then take place. 

(11) The church may also choose a Music Committee 
and such other committees as it may deem advisable. 

Section 2. The Pastor shall have in charge the spiritual 
welfare of the congregation; he shall preach the word, 
and have in his care the stated services of public worship, 
and shall administer the ordinances. He shall preside at 
all meetings of the church, except as limited in Article 
VII, Sec. 2 (4), relating to business meetings. 

Section 3. The Clerk shall keep a complete record of the 
transactions at all business meetings of the church, which 
shall be read for approval at the next following special 



140 A Baptist Manual 

business meeting. He shall keep a register of the names 
of members, with dates of admission and dismission or 
death, together with a record of baptisms. He shall also 
notify all officers, members of committees, and delegates of 
their election or appointment. He shall issue letters of 
dismission and recommendation voted by the church, pre- 
serve on file all communications and written official re- 
ports, and give legal notice of all meetings where such 
notice is necessary, as indicated in these by-laws. 

Section 4. The Deacons shall provide for the Lord's 
Supper and aid in its administration, and shall care for 
the poor, calling upon the Treasurer by vote as a Board, 
at their discretion, for any funds in his possession held 
for these purposes. 

They shall examine and recommend candidates for 
admission to the church, shall provide for the supply of 
the pulpit in any vacation of the Pastor, shall decide 
on objects for regular or special collections when the 
church has not acted thereon, shall have regard to discipline 
as provided in the article relating to that subject, and 
shall be watchful for the spiritual interests of the church. 
They shall make a written report at each annual meet- 
ing of the matters under their charge. 

Section 5. The Treasurer shall keep separate accounts 
as follows : 

(1) Of all moneys contributed at the Lord's Supper, 
which shall be primarily devoted to the relief of the poor, 
and which contributions, together with all other moneys 
given for that purpose, he shall hold subject to the orders 
of the Deacons. (2) Of all moneys raised for the ob- 
jects of Christian benevolence, to be paid by him to the 
several persons or societies entitled thereto. (3) Of all 
moneys received by him for the support of public worship 
or of any department of church work, to be paid out on the 
order of the church or of any persons or committees 
authorized by the church therefor, 



Constitution of a Church 141 

All the Treasurer's accounts shall be kept distinct from 
all other accounts, and all deposits made, and all checks 
drawn by him shall be in the name of the church. 

He shall make an annual written report in detail of 
his receipts and expenditures, properly audited by some 
person previously appointed by the church. 

Section 6. The Superintendent of the Sunday-school 
shall have the general oversight and direction of the 
school, and shall conduct its affairs upon such general 
plans and in such methods as may be approved by the 
Advisory Committee. 

He shall, at the annual meeting of the church, present 
a written report of the work of the school during the 
year, with such recommendations as he may deem wise. 

VI. Organizations 

The church regards as integral parts of itself all organ- 
izations formed for the purposes of ministration and 
which use the facilities of the church property. Of all 
such organizations the Pastor shall have general oversight, 
and the church will expect a report from each at its annual 
meeting. 

VII. Meetings 

Section i. For Worship. (1) Public services shall be 
held statedly on the Lord's Day and on some regular eve- 
ning or evenings of each week. 

(2) The Lord's Supper shall be celebrated on the first 
Sunday morning of each month, or at such other time as 
the church may determine. The midweek meeting next 
preceding shall be the covenant meeting. 

(3) Occasional religious meetings may be appointed 
by the Pastor at his discretion, or by vote of the church. 

Section 2. For Business. (1) At any of the regular 
meetings for worship the church may, without special no- 
tice, act upon the reception of members, or upon the dis- 



142 A Baptist Manual 

missal of members to other churches, and upon the appoint- 
ment of delegates to councils, but not upon other business. 

(2) The Pastor may, and shall, when requested by the 
Deacons, Trustees, or a standing committee, call from the 
pulpit special business meetings, the particular object of 
the meeting being clearly stated in the notice. 

Special meetings of the church shall also be called by 
the Clerk upon the written application of any five adult 
members specifying the object thereof, which notice shall 
be read at the public service on the Lord's Day next 
preceding the day fixed for such meeting. No special 
meeting shall be held on the same day on which the notice 
is given. 

(3) The annual meeting of the church shall be held 

on 

at which time the annual reports shall be presented and 
officers elected, and such other business transacted as 
may be specified in the call or authorized in the by-laws. 
This meeting shall be called by the Clerk in the manner 
specified in the paragraph next preceding. 

(4) At all meetings for business called by the Clerk, 
a chairman shall be chosen by vote of the church; but at 
all other meetings the Pastor shall preside, except that 
in his absence, or when the business relates to himself, 
the church shall elect a chairman. 

(5) At the annual and all special meetings . . . mem- 
bers shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the 
transaction of business. 

VIII. Discipline 

Section i. Should any unhappy differences arise be- 
tween members, the aggrieved member shall follow, in a 
tender spirit, the rules given by our Lord in the eighteenth 
chapter of Matthew. 

Section 2. Should any case of gross breach of covenant, 
or of public scandal, occur, the Deacons shall endeavor to 



Constitution of a Church 143 

remove the offense; and if such effort fail, shall report the 
case to the church. 

Section 3. If the church vote to entertain a complaint, 
which must be made in writing, it shall appoint a rea- 
sonable time and place of hearing and notify the per- 
son in question thereof, furnishing him with a copy of 
the charges. 

Section 4. At such hearing, the accused member may 
call to his aid any member of the church as counsel. If he 
shall not present himself at the time appointed, or give 
satisfactory reasons for hi: neglect so to do, the church 
may proceed in his absence. 

Section 5. All such proceedings should be pervaded by 
a spirit of Christian kindness and forbearance, but should 
an adverse decision be reached, the church may proceed 
to admonish or declare the offender to be no longer in 
the membership of the church. 

Section 6. In case of grave difficulty the church will be 
ready, if requested, to ask advice of a mutual council. 

IX. Corporate Seal 

This church shall become (or being) legally incorpo- 
rated under the laws of the State of 

adopts as its corporate seal, a scroll or circle containing 

the words, " The Baptist 

Church of , Organized 19 , 

Incorporated 19 " And the following 

motto and device 

The same to be written, stamped, or printed. 

X. Amendments 

The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote 
of the members present and voting at any annual meet- 
ing of the church, or at a meeting specially called for 
that purpose, the proposed amendment being inserted 



144 A Baptist Manual 

in the call; but no change shall be made in Articles II 
and III, entitled " Covenant " and " Character," except 
at an annual meeting, and by a two-thirds vote of all 
the members of the church entitled to vote, said proposed 
change having been laid before the church in writing at 
a business meeting not less than one month before the 
time of the proposed action, and read from the pulpit on 
the Lord's Day next succeeding such proposal. 



FORMS of LETTERS MISSIVE 



From Individuals Desiring Help in Organizing 
a Church 

To the Baptist Church, 

in , Greeting : 

After careful deliberation, and after seeking the guid- 
ance of the Holy Spirit, we have come to regard it as our 
duty and privilege to associate together as a church of 
the Lord Jesus Christ in this place, and have taken the 
steps preparatory thereto. We therefore affectionately 
request you to send your pastor and two delegates to an 
ecclesiastical council, to be constituted as stated below, 

hereby called to meet in our place of worship on 

, the day of , 

at o'clock .... m., which shall review 

our proceedings, and consider the need and opportunity 
for the proposed church ; and if the result of such exam- 
ination be favorable, assist in completing the organiza- 
tion, and extend to it the fellowship of the Baptist churches. 
Wishing you grace, mercy, and peace, 



Committee for the Brethren? 



(Date and place.) 

1 When the names of the members of a committee are not in their own 
handwriting, all copies of the letters missive should be authenticated by 
the actual signature of the clerk. 

145 



146 A Baptist Manual 

The following named churches (and persons) are in- 
vited : 

(Names.) 



Clerk, pro tern. 

For the Reception of a Church into Fellowship 
The Church in 



To the Baptisi Church, 

in , Greeting : 

This church, organized as a church of the Lord Jesus 
Christ, upon Baptist principles, earnestly desires the enjoy- 
ment of the fellowship of the Baptist churches and par- 
ticipation in common work for the advancement of the 
kingdom of Christ. We therefore affectionately request 
you to send your pastor and two delegates to an ecclesias- 
tical council, to be constituted as stated below, hereby called 

to meet in our place of worship on , 

the day of , 19 , 

at o'clock .... m., which shall make 

the necessary examinations into our polity, faith, and prac- 
tice, and if the result be favorable, extend to us the fellow- 
ship of the Baptist churches. 

Wishing you grace, mercy, and peace, 



Committee of the Church. 



(Date and place.) 
The churches (and persons) invited are as follows: 

(Names.) 
In accordance with the vote of the church. 



Church Clerk, 



Letters Missive 147 

For the Ordination of a Minister 

The Baptist Church, 

in 

To the Baptist Church, 

in , Greeting : 

Whereas, Brother A. B., a member of this church, be- 
lieving that the Lord has called him to the ministry of the 
word, desires ordination in view of special work now 

before him, namely, 1 

and trusts that he has obtained the preparation of mind 
and heart necessary to qualify him for its sacred duties, 
we therefore affectionately request you to send your pas- 
tor and two delegates to an ecclesiastical council, to be con- 
stituted as stated below, hereby called to meet in our 

place of worship on , the 

day of , 19 , at o'clock 

m., which shall review our proceedings and make the 

necessary examination, and if the result be favorable, 
proceed with us to his ordination and extend to him the 
fellowship of the Baptist ministers and churches. 

Wishing you grace, mercy, and peace, 



Committee of the Church. 



(Date and place.) 
The churches (and persons) invited are as follows: 

(Names.) 
In accordance with the vote of the church. 



Church Clerk. 

1 The work should be specified,- such as "pastoral service," "foreign 
missionary work/' "home missionary work/' "as an evangelist/' etc. 



148 A Baptist Manual 

For Advice in Special Cases 

The Baptist Church, 

in 

To the Baptist Church, 

in , Greeting : 

Whereas this church is in circumstances which make 
it needful that it should obtain wise and godly advice 
from neighboring churches whose judgment, it may be 
hoped, will be guided by the Holy Spirit, we therefore 
affectionately request you to send your pastor and two 
delegates to an ecclesiastical council, to be constituted as 
stated below, hereby called to meet in our place of wor- 
ship on , the day of 

19 , at o'clock m., which shall con- 
sider the facts and questions then to be laid before it, 
and which shall give to us such fraternal advice as it 
may deem important with reference to the work committed 
to our hands. 

Wishing you grace, mercy, and peace, 



Committee of the Church. 



(Date and place.) 

The churches (and persons) invited are as follows: 
(Names.) 

In accordance with the vote of the church. 



Church Clerk. 



Letters Missive 149 

For Advice in Case of Internal Dissensions 

The Baptist Church, 

in 

To the Baptist Church, 

in , Greeting : 

Whereas, the peace of this church is disturbed by in- 
ternal differences between brethren, which are injurious 
to its prosperity and the cause of Christ; and whereas, 
in such cases it is the privilege of any church to ask for 
wise and godly counsel from neighboring churches with 
the hope of thereby removing the causes of disturbance 
and securing harmony; and whereas, brethren who differ 
in their present judgment agree to this reference, we 
therefore affectionately request you to send your pastor 
and two delegates to an ecclesiastical council to be con- 
stituted as stated below, hereby called to meet in our 

place of worship on , the day of 

, 19 .... , at o'clock m., to 

which these difficulties within the church will be made 
known, and which, after due deliberation, shall give to 
us the counsel to which it shall be divinely led. 

Wishing you grace, mercy, and peace, 



Committee of the Church. 



(Date and place.) 

The churches (and persons) invited are as follows: 
(Names.) 

In accordance with the vote of the church. 



Church Clerk, 



150 A Baptist Manual 

For a Mutual Council in Case of Alleged Grievance 

The Baptist Church, in 

To, the Baptist Church, 

in , Greeting : 

Whereas, Brother A. B., who has been deprived of 
good and regular standing in this church by act of the 
church, alleges that this action is unjust and improper, 
and desires that the church will join with him in calling 
a mutual council to consider his alleged grievance and 
advise in reference thereto; and whereas the church, de- 
siring only that which is according to the rules of the 
gospel of Christ, accedes to his request, we therefore af- 
fectionately request you to send your pastor and two dele- 
gates to an ecclesiastical council, to be constituted (by 
mutual agreement) as stated below, hereby called to 

meet in our place of worship on ., the 

day of , 19 , at o'clock 

m., which shall review all the proceedings in this 

case, make the necessary examinations, and give such ad- 
vice as it shall find required by Baptist principles in the 
spirit of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Wishing you grace, mercy, and peace, 



Committee of the Church. 
(Date and place.) 



Complainant. 

The churches (and persons) invited are as follows : 

(Names.) 
In accordance with the vote of the church. 



Church Clerk. 



Letters Missive 151 

For an Ex-parte Council to Consider an 
Alleged Grievance 

To the Baptist Church, 

in , Greeting : 

Whereas, the undersigned has been by the act of the 
Baptist Church in 

deprived of his good and regular standing in that church, 
and thereby of his communion with neighboring churches, 
which action he holds to have been erroneous both in 
method and substance, and an injury to him as a Christian 
brother; and whereas, he has requested the church to 
join him in calling a mutual council to ask the advice of 
neighboring churches in the case, which request the church 
has refused to grant, as he thinks, unreasonably; in accord- 
ance with the method of relief acknowledged among our 
churches, the undersigned affectionately requests you to send 
your pastor and two delegates to an ex-parte ecclesiastical 
council, to be constituted as stated below, hereby called to 

meet in on , the day 

of , 19 , at o'clock m., 

to which shall be communicated all the facts in the case, 
and which will be respectfully asked to give such advice 
as shall be warranted, under the guidance of the Holy 
Spirit. 

Trusting in your willingness to listen and to aid in 
securing the removal of any injury, if such should be 
found to exist, 

Yours in Christian fellowship, 



(Date and place.) 

The churches (and persons) invited are as follows: 
(Names.) 



FORMS RELATING to the DISMISSION 
OF CHURCH MEMBERS 



Application for Uniting in the Formation of a 
New Church 

To the Baptist Church 

of 

Dear Brethren : 
Being desirous of uniting with other Christian brethren 

in the formation of a new Baptist church in , 

I hereby respectfully request a letter of dismission and 
recommendation for that purpose, to take effect when 
such church shall be duly organized. 

Yours in Christian fellowship, 

(Signed) , 

, 19 

Letter of Dismission for the Formation of a 
New Church 

The Baptist Church 

of 

Sends Greeting: 

This certifies that , a 

member in good and regular standing of this church, is 
at own request hereby dismissed and affection- 
ately recommended to unite with other Christian brethren 

in the organization of a new Baptist church in 

When membership 

152 



Dismission of Church Members 153 

in such church shall be completed, membership 

with this church will cease. 

Yours in Christian fellowship, 

(Signed) 

,19 Clerk. 

Application for a Letter of Dismission from 
One Church to Another 

To the Baptist Church 

of 

Dear Brethren : 

Being desirous of uniting with the Baptist 

Church of , I hereby respectfully request 

a letter of dismission and recommendation to that church. 
Yours in Christian fellowship, 

(Signed) 

, 19 

A Letter of Dismission and Recommendation 

The Baptist Church 

of .... 

To the Baptist Church 

of , Greeting : 

This certifies that , a 

member in good and regular standing of this church, is 
at own request hereby dismissed and affection- 
ately recommended to your fellowship and care, and, 

when received by you membership with this 

church will cease. 

By vote of the church. 



19 Clerk. 



Note i. This letter is good, as a recommendation, for one year only 
from its date. 

2. The clerk of the church accepting this letter is requested to fill out 
the accompanying blank certificate, and return it to the above address as 
soon as possible. 



154 ^ Baptist Manual 

A Certificate of Reception 

To the Baptist Church 

of • 

This certifies that , recommended 

to our Christian fellowship by you, was, on the 

day of , 19 , received into the membership 

of the Baptist Church of 

Attest, 



Clerk. 
19 



Form of Membership Certificate 

To be given to members desiring to unite with other than 
a Baptist church, or desiring the termination of member- 
ship. 

To Mr 

Dear Brother: 

This will certify that your name has been upon the 

roll of this church since , that 

it has continued there until this time as that of a member 
in regular standing, and that this certificate is given you at 
your own request and your membership in this church 
terminated. 

Wishing you grace, mercy and peace, we are, 

The Baptist Church 

of 

By 

Clerk. 
By vote of the Church this 

, 19.... 



FORMS RELATING TO LICENSE 
AND ORDINATION 

Form of a License to Preach 

This is to certify that Brother , 

a member of the Baptist Church of 

, in good standing and held by us in 

high esteem, believing himself called of God to preach 
the gospel, and having given evidence of his godly living 
and gift of preaching to the full satisfaction of the 
church, is hereby accorded our hearty approval and consent 
that he employ his gifts in the preaching of the gospel 
as the Lord may open the way. And we pray that the great 
Head of the church may give him abundant grace and lead 
him into large usefulness. 

By vote of the church. 

Pastor, 

Clerk. 

Form of Certificate of Ordination 

This certifies that our Brother 

was publicly ordained and set apart to the work of the 
gospel ministry with appropriate religious services, prayer, 
and the laying on of hands, according to the usages of 
Baptist churches, at , , 19 

That he was called to ordination by the 

Church, of which he was a member, and which, after full 

*55 



156 A Baptist Manual 

and sufficient opportunity for judging of his gifts, were 
agreed in the opinion that he was divinely called to the 
work of the ministry. 

That churches were represented in the council 

by ministers and laymen, and that, 

after a full, fair, and deliberate examination, being satis- 
fied on all points, the council did unanimously recommend 
his ordination. 

That our Brother did accordingly 

receive the full, entire, and hearty approval of the coun- 
cil in his official entrance upon the work of the ministry, 
administering the ordinances, and otherwise assuming all 
the functions of a Christian minister. And may the bless- 
ing of the great Head of the church attend him, crown his 
labors with abundant success, and make him an honored 
instrument of good to Zion and the world. 



Moderator. 
Clerk. 
(Date and place.) 







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